


After Office Ours

by TannieSpokie



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:22:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 34,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26635798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TannieSpokie/pseuds/TannieSpokie
Summary: Nicole is a reporter for the Purgatory Post. She befriends her fellow reporter, Waverly Earp, and together they uncover the secrets of the infamous Bobo Del Rey's underworld.Journalist AU
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 51
Kudos: 210





	1. Chapter 1

I type up the last word of my report and open my email. Attach and send. Checking my watch, I sigh. 10pm. I've been at the office way too long again. Fourth time this week. Good thing there is no one waiting for me at home. 

I sit back in my chair and crack my neck as I run my hand through my red locks. I sigh again. Time to head home, finally. 

I am about to get up when I hear the sound of typing. I give my keyboard a suspicious look. I swear it looks back at me accusingly, as if saying "What, you think I am able to type myself now?" 

I shake my head and peer across the office. My eyes follow the sound, but it has become quiet again. Just as I am about to file this under a side effect of insanity induced by the late hour, another rapid succession of keypresses can be heard. My ears immediately zone in on the sound. Finally, I spot movement in a cubicle on the other side of the office. A flash of honey brown hair catches my eye. 

This is odd. I am usually the only sorry soul that works this late. Curiosity taking over, I move towards the perpetrator. Coming closer, I finally see that it is none other than Waverly Earp, the girl I always see sitting on her own in the lunchroom. I have tried to speak to her before, but she always flits away just as I pluck up the courage to head over. 

Seeing this as an opportunity to finally share a word with the elusive girl, I clear my throat. No response is received, only another rapid succession of aggressive typing. She is so enraptured in her task, she takes no notice of my lanky appearance next to her cubicle. "Uh, hey there." I say in a second attempt.

She jumps slightly with a gasp, her hand clasping at her heart. Shit, way to go Haught, I scold myself silently. But then she turns her head and directs the most beautiful hazel eyes my way. "Oh, hey. You scared me! I thought I was the only one here." 

"Nope, I am actually a frequent member of the losers who work late club." I say. Then I realize the stupidity of my words. With a mental forehead slap, I try to fix it. "Not that you are a loser! It doesn't apply to you at all, you are like the most winning of workers." Another mental slap. Great going there, Cassanova. She is totally gonna want to talk to you now. 

To my surprise, she let's out a giggle. It's the most magical sound I had ever had the privilege of hearing. What is wrong with you? A pretty girl giggles and you are in love? Idiot. 

I'm pulled from my inner monologue when the source of my internal struggle speaks. "It's fine, I get what you mean. I don't usually work so late. I just find it less…disruptive than when the office is full." The way she says this makes me wonder if there's more to it. She is exceptionally beautiful. I've seen the way some of the men leer at her. One in particular.

"Champ Hardy been botherin' you?" her eyes widen. And she looks down. Right on the money. "How did you know?" she asks quietly. I fight the urge to put my hand on her shoulder for comfort. 

"Well, I've seen how he treats pretty girls in our office. Once he sets his eyes on someone, he is like a leech. Won't let go until he gets a reaction. Idiot's ego can't take being ignored." I explain. 

"You think I am pretty?" She replies, her beautiful hazel eyes alight with expectation. I am completely taken aback by her question and the look in her eyes. 

"Uh.. well.. uh yeah. Anyone with eyes can see that you are beautiful." I stumble over my words, and can feel the blush spreading over my skin. Oh to be betrayed by your own face. 

Her eyes appear to take on a new light at my words. Like she is happy at hearing them, content. She then does another thing I didn't expect, she extends her hand. "I'm Waverly Earp." 

I smile and grasp her hand, the skin against mine feels very soft. "I know. It's nice to finally meet you. I am Nicole Ha.." I start introducing myself, but am interrupted. 

"Nicole Haught. I know. You are one of Nedley's best reporters."

I look down bashfully. She knows my name?! "Nah, I'm not that great." I say in an attempt to hide my dumbfounded reaction at her knowing my name, let alone my existence. 

"Oh, you are. I've seen your work. I was always so intimided by it, I could never pluck up the courage to speak to you." 

Floored. I am floored. Not only does she know my name and have seen my work, she actually wanted to talk to me? What?! 

"Uh...you wanted to talk to me too?" I say and I am pretty sure my mouth was gaping like a fish out of water. Idiot. 

She giggles again, and the angelic sound has my heart doing cartwheels. Maybe I should be an idiot more often, if I am rewarded with that sound every time. 

"I tell you what, Nicole Haught. Why don't we grab a drink and actually finally talk to each other?" She asks, her voice sweet as honey. 

Pretty sure I was about to combust right there. She. Wants To. Grab. A. Drink. With. ME. Wut?! My brain really struggles to process this, if you haven't noticed. 

Composing myself and doing my utmost to hide my inner panic attack, I reply with "I would like that very much, Waverly Earp." 

My best dimpled smile is spread across my face as we walk out together.


	2. Chapter 2

It is Monday, 6:59am. I'm first at the office. Why, you ask? Well. A certain brunette is about to make her glorious appearance, and like a sunrise, one must arrive early or you will miss it and regret it for the rest of your day. 

7:00am. Time slows, the movement of an angel has every second and minute holding its breath. Apparently, I too am a time piece turning blue with anticipation. 

Brown locks flow gloriously with every sway of intoxicating hips. My eyes follow every entrancing step. Then she raises her hand in a wave and the piece de resistance makes its appearance: she smiles at me. Pretty sure I have no more breath in my lungs at this moment. 

Then. *Bang* The spell is broken. I turn my glare towards the interrupter of my Waverly Earp induced stupor. The hand on my desk is attached to the body of Mr Annoyance Himself. Lonnie. I fight the urge to growl. 

"Nicole. I've been calling you for a whole minute. Where you at Haught? And what's got you smiling like a creep?" 

I sigh. So help me..."What the hell do you want, Lonnie?" I wonder how long it would take to hide a body.

Unaffected by my murderous tone, the current bane of my existence speaks again. "Geez. Good morning to you too, Haught." I roll my eyes, but he continues unperturbed. "Just wanted to let you know that Nedley said he wants to see you." 

I sigh and take one more longing look towards the cubicle that belongs to the sun herself before I head over to Nedley's office. 

He greets me with a gruff "Morning, Haught. Just wanted to let you know I am very impressed with the latest piece you sent me. Good work." I just nod and a small proud smile takes its place on my face. "Thanks, sir." 

"Now, onto more pressing matters. Bobo del Rey has agreed to do an interview." 

My eyes widen, this was very unexpected. "What, he finally agreed? That's fantastic news, sir!" 

Bobo del Rey is one of the big wigs in Purgatory. There has always been an air of mystery surrounding him. Publishers have been fighting to be first to score an interview. He has been successful in dodging the press, always declining interview requests. Why would he suddenly change his tune? 

As I ponder this, Nedley continues. "He can only do 14h00 tomorrow and insisted that you meet him at The Trailer Park." Of course he would only agree if it is under his terms. Bobo is the owner of The Trailer Park, a local night club frequented by all sorts of unsavory characters. I have an uneasy feeling, but decide to push it away. This may be the only chance we get. "I'll be there, sir." 

"Don't be late. This will be a ground breaking piece, if you can get him to talk." Nedley tells me. I nod "I will do my best." Then I exit his office. 

As I round the corner, a warm body barrels into mine, pulling me from my thoughts on Bobo. I grab hold of the tiny, yet fierce, body that has invaded my personal space. To my surprise and delight, I find that it belongs to the light of my life herself.

"Nicole! I'm so sorry! I'm in such a hurry, I didn't even notice you there." The voice of an angel, how beautiful. She looks at me expectantly and I quickly wipe the dopey smile off my face. Can't be looking like a fool infront of an ethereal being. It's probably way too late for that, though. Get it together, Haught. Now what did she say again? I have to back track in my mind, but remember what she said. Finally my idiotic love blind brain forms words. 

"Uh, hey Waverly! It's okay, don't worry about it. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" I say, putting on my most charming dimpled smile to cover up the fact that my heart is beating lightening fast. 

The ways she looks at me then almost causes my poor heart to seize. Is she...is she staring at me? Does she maybe also feel…things? Tsk. Idiot, of course she doesn't. She totally didn't just look at me like THAT. Right?? No. Okay, but what if she DID…?

As I am in the process of breaking my idiotic lovestruck brain over a simple look, the cause of my inner turmoil responds. "I am off to do an interview, but I'm already late. So I gotta run. But.. it's really good to see you again. We should get drinks more often!" Then she runs off to go be absolutely adorable somewhere else. Er, no. I mean she runs of to go do her interview. Yes, that's what I meant. Okay? Stop judging my in love ass. 

It's also a solid 5 minutes after Waverly leaves before I can get my brain to think of something other than sheishappytoseemedjdfkiejdjeuwhsls??? 

After our initial interaction last Friday, we went out for drinks at Shorty's. We talked all night. I learned a lot. She knows the bar owner, Doc. She has a sister called Wynonna who is involved with Doc.

I also learned that she had another sister called Willa. Willa went missing when Waverly was about 5 years old. They never found her, but Waverly has always believed she could. It's the reason she became a journalist. The determination in her eyes while telling me this had me believe every word, I had no doubt that she could do it. It was also very attractive when her hazel eyes had that fire in them. What? I'm in love okay, sue me. 

We talked about everything and anything that night. It felt so easy and so right. I was probably smiling at her like an idiot the whole time. I tend to do it even more so when a bit intoxicated. By her. Not alcohol, by the way.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since that night. Every giggle, every smile, every nose scrunch is mapped into my mind, like the back of my own hand. She is perfection and I am a lovestruck idiot with no chance. At least I thought so, but with every interaction, my heart wants to explode with the hope growing there.

Someone bumps into my shoulder lightly as they pass, drawing me from my stupor and my brain is finally reset. What was I suppose to be doing? Oh right. Bobo del Rey.

I finally make my way back to my desk to finish some of my other due reports and also do some research on Bobo Del Rey before the interview tomorrow. All the while, thoughts of brown hair and sunshine are never far from my mind.


	3. Chapter 3

It's Tuesday. I check my watch, 13h55 pm glares back at me. I am outside of The Trailer Park, ready for my chat with the infamous Bobo del Rey. 

As I enter the building, my eyes take a moment to adjust to the low light inside. There is a stage in the middle and a girl wearing less than nothing is doing her cliche pole dance routine. I avert my gaze in disinterest, my heart belongs to only one woman. 

My eyes search for any sign of my interviewee, but he is nowhere in sight. 

I walk over to the bar, where a dark haired woman with full sleeve tattoos and a nose ring is busy wiping down the counter with an old rag. As I approach, she looks up at me with a spark of interest in her eyes. "Hey, there. Can I get you anything?" She says with a smile, practically purring at me. I'm not affected, I already have a cat.

"Hi, no thanks. I'm not here for pleasure. I actually have an interview with Bobo del Rey." At the mention of his name, the bartender stiffens. There is a look in her eyes I cannot quite place, all flirtyness now gone. This is odd, but I decide to push the thought away. 

"Uhm, Mr Del Rey is in the back. I'll let him know you are here…?" She looks at me expectantly. 

"Nicole Haught, from The Purgatory Post." I explain. 

She nods and walks toward the back through a pair of velvet purple curtains. 

As I wait, I check my emails and find two new ones. One is just a reminder of the birthday party the company is hosting for one of the new interns. The other is from Jeremy Chetri, one of the Post's photographers. He sent me and a couple of our other reporters some of the pictures he took from the Purgatory fair last Saturday. I had an interview with the mayor about the successful harvest season this year. I still need to finish the report, which is due tomorrow. I sigh, I will have to work late again tonight. 

Among the recipients of Jeremy's email I spot Waverly's name and immediately smile like an idiot. It's just her name, geez Haught. Get a grip! I scold myself silently. My heart beats wildly in betrayal. I wonder what she was doing at the fair though? We somehow missed each other. 

As I am pondering this, the bartender reappears. "Mr Del Rey will see you now." She tells me, indicating for me to go through the purple curtains. I nod and make my way to the back of the building. 

Once through the curtains, I enter a room painted red and black. A haze of cigar smoke hangs in the air, making me cough slightly. In the middle of the room sits Bobo del Rey himself, in a chair that has the appearance of a throne. He is wearing a fur coat that Lady Gaga would definitely have deemed too much. To his left is another girl. She seems stoic, and at attention, as if awaiting an order. Weird. 

Bobo looks up at me, his expression could only be described as that of a wolf looking at its prey. I fight the urge to swallow at the uneasy feeling in my stomach and move to offer him my hand in greeting. "Hello, Mr Del Rey. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me today." 

His grip is cold and sweaty at the same time. I cannot wait until I can stop touching his hand. He smiles and its animalistic rather than welcoming. "Good afternoon. Miss Haught, is it?" he says. I nod, ignoring the unease that creeps up my spine. "You can call me Bobo. Agatha, please get our guest a seat, will you?" the girl nods stoicly and gets one of the chairs on the other side of the room. She places it next to me. 

"Thank you." I tell her politely, but receive no response. Rude much? The women in here are all acting very strange. Pushing away these thoughts, I decide to press on and get this interview over with. "So, Mr Del Rey. I have a few questions for you, if that is all right?" he nods, looking almost bored. 

"Is your name really Bobo?" 

"My birth certificate reads Robert Svane. But Bobo just makes me sound more approachable, don't you think?" He says with a smirk that makes my skin crawl. 

"Can you tell me a bit about your early life?" 

"Oh, your typical origin story. Never knew my father. Mother raised me, but died of cancer when I was seven years old."

I look up to see his expression. He appears very calm, no sign of heart break present on his features. His expression is cold, almost. I write down my notes and say "My condolences, that must have been quite tough."

He leans forward, his eyes seem to stare right through me. "Do you like wolves, Miss Haught?"

I frown at his odd question. "They are amazing animals, sure." 

"There is a quote that goes, throw me to the wolves and I will return, leading the pack." What is this, Jungle Book? 

"I am thankful for the things that happened to me." he continues.

"I see. How did you end up in Purgatory, running The Trailer Park?" I ask. 

"My uncle Joseph, who lives in Purgatory, took me under his wing after my mother passed and I flourished. He taught me about how to run a business. After highschool I befriended the right people at the right time, made a name for myself and now I own this establishment. I'd like to think of myself as quite the success story. My employees are happy, so are my customers."

His story sounds way too clean cut. He makes himself sound like a model citizen, a role model type. I don't buy it. Was this why he suddenly agreed to do the interview? To get people to see him as some kind of martyr, feel moved by his sob story and thus most likely bring him more business and fame? I don't have any facts to go on, so I have no choice but to take his word for it. 

"That is quite the success story, indeed." My eyes move to the stoic girl on his left. "I'd like to get some quotes from your employees, on how happy they are in working for you. Mind if I ask her a few questions too?" At my words the girl finally looks at me, and I could swear there is hopefulness in her eyes. 

Before I can think on this any more, Bobo replies suddenly. "I have answered all your questions, you have enough material to write your article. This interview is over, you may leave now." I wanted to protest, since I had barely asked him half of my questions. But the clear animosity in his voice had me think better of it. 

I nod and get up. "Thank you for your time, Mr Del Rey." Then I walk out, feeling his eyes burning holes in my back the whole way. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It's 8pm when I finally finish my report on the Mayor interview. After I left The Trailer Park I had to catch up on some of my other reports, including this one. I attach the pictures Jeremy took and save the document before sending it through to Nedley for approval. Then I lean back in my chair and massage my neck, closing my tired eyes. 

"Hey, Nicole." The unexpected sound of an angelic voice has me practically jumping out of my chair. 

At my surprised expression, the angel giggles and it's like rain in the desert that is my desolate existence. "We need to stop meeting like this. " Waverly says. 

Finally regaining my composure, I sit up more straight and smile. "Hi, Waverly! What are you doing here?" 

She moves to sit at the edge of my desk, and I vow to never get another desk. Ever. "Well, I have to finish that fluff piece on the fair that's due tomorrow. Haven't had time this morning and afternoon due to other interviews and reports needing to be done." She explains, waving her arms around dramatically. She could have said she was here to fire me and I would still be glad to see her. 

"I know the feeling, also had a long day of reports and had an interview this afternoon." I say smiling up at her warmly. 

"Interview anyone interesting?" Her hazel eyes are alight with interest. 

"Yeah, actually. I had the privilege of getting to speak to Mr Bobo Del Rey himself." I say while rolling my eyes to show my contempt of the man. 

She sits up, apparently intrigued by this. "What? You got to interview him? That's amazing! I heard he has been quite successful in avoiding the press." She raises her eyebrows, looking at me in what I hope is awe. My heart does that fast beating thing again. This woman is gonna be the death of me. 

I look down bashfully. "Nedley assigned me to do the interview." I say with a shrug. 

"Wow, you got the chance of a lifetime! This article could really get you noticed, a real stroke of luck." She says, and it almost sounds like she has pride in her voice. Was she...proud of...me? I scoff at the rediculousness of my thought. 

"Truth be told, I didn't feel very lucky during the interview." I tell her thoughtfully. 

I feel ashamed to have caused a frown to appear on her perfect face. "What? Why?" She asks.

"I don't know. Something about that place, about him, just rubs me the wrong way. I can't quite place my finger on it. He also has quite alot of girls." 

Don't know if I am imagining it, but she almost seems to deflate at my words. "Oh. You must have had good company then." She says softly, looking down. 

Feeling the need to amend something for reasons I don't know, I quickly say "Nah, I didn't much like being there at all. I'd much rather be here." I say, looking pointedly at her. She looks up at me with a small smile, her eyes alight with something I can't place. She appears content with my answer. 

"It was quite strange though. All the girls became really quiet and stoic at either the mention of Bobo or if they were in his vicinity. I feel like there is something going on there, and my gut is telling me that it's not good." 

"Well, my Aunt Gus always told me 'you should never doubt your instincts, Waverly'. So I say you should trust your gut and look into it." She tells me with a serious look. 

I smile at her enthusiasm and apparent faith in my gut. "Okay, I will do that Miss Earp." I say smiling my most charming of dimpled smiles. Is she… blushing? My little lovestruck heart bleeds with hopefulness. 

"What would you suggest my next step should be?" She looks up at me with surprise. Is she not used to people asking her opinion? I'll have to fix that. 

"Oh...uhm..." she appears to think it over, her nose scrunching up adorably, while tapping her finger to her chin. Is she real? Can't be. Unicorns don't exist, except in my dreams. My heart begs to differ inside my chest. 

"How about a stake out?"

I start to laugh, she must be kidding. "What am I, a cop?" She gives me a look and it is clear that she was serious with her suggestion. I stop laughing immediately and look thoughtfully back at her. "You know what, that's actually not a bad Idea." I check my watch. "I'll just finish up this report, then go pay The Trailer Park another visit. Incognito this time." 

She smiles at me and nods. "Okay awesome." Then, in a softer tone, she asks "Can I come with you?" The joy flows through me like liquid Nirvana. The object of my affection wants to join me for a stake out, even though she doesn't need to. Have I mentioned I am madly in love with this girl? 

"Always." I respond earnestly. She gives me the most magical smile right then, the crinkles of her eyes matching the lines she has imprinted in my soul. 

"Okay then. I'm just gonna finish up this fluff piece that has me bored out of my mind, then we can go. I'm so excited!" She says with another blinding smile, I'm gonna need a guide dog if she keeps smiling at me like that. She then moves to her desk and we both hurry to finish our work. I haven't looked forward to something like this in a while. We are kinda like partners now, huh? I think to myself while smiling like a dope, finally returning my attention back on the report.


	4. Chapter 4

"It is now just after 10h30pm. You know what that means folks, time for some late night blues." The voice on the radio announces as he puts on Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton. 

"Wynonna loves this song." The angel in the passenger seat says, drawing my attention from my view of The Trailer Park. 

We finished work by 9h30pm, both got into my red 2006 Mazda 3 and headed for the nearest convenience store. According to Waverly, one does not simply do a stake out without proper snackage. Who am I to protest to such wisdom?

In the store I noticed Waverly grabbing only vegan based snacks. When she caught me staring at her snacks (I totally wasn't actually looking at her legs. Narrator: Nicole was actually looking at Waverly's legs), She quickly explained, saying "I'm vegan." with a shrug and a smile that could single handedly cure depression.

I nodded at her, a bit bewildered because my thoughts were still on her legs. Er, no. They were on my own choice of snacks. I looked longingly at the packet of beef jerky on the opposite shelf. Nope. There are vegan princesses amongst us, quiet you! I had silently told my stomach.

When we finally got everything, we paid and walked back to my car. I automatically moved to open the passenger door for her. She paused and looked at me with surprise. Then she seemed to take on an expression of awe again. My heart wasn't gonna catch a break today. I just smiled to cover up the effect she had on me. 

Then we were off. To do a stake out. Together. Giddy didnt even begin to describe my state of mind. Overjoyed, in a state of blissfully inlove madness would have been much more accurate. 

We pulled up in front of The Trailer Park. I made sure to pick a spot that was inconspicuous, but which still had a good view of the building. Not much happened for the first hour. We basically listened to music and talked about random things. I was having the time of my life. 

"Tell me a bit about your sister?" I ask. 

"Well, she is pretty rough around the edges. But beneath those edges she has the kindest heart. She always goes to the mat for the people she loves, especially me." Waverly says with a smile and fondness in her voice. She clearly loves her sister very much. It warms my heart to know she has someone who has her back like that and loves her. I would give anything to be someone like that to Waverly. 'And honey I stay stoned on your love all the time' Chris sings on the radio. Same man, same. 

"She sounds awesome. I'm glad you have someone who cares for you like that." I tell her honestly. She smiles and nods in return. "Yeah, I love her." 

Her face then seems to take on a more somber expression and it breaks my heart. "She tends to go away a lot, though. She had quite a hard time after Willa went missing. Always blaming herself for not being a better sister, not having been able to help keep her safe. She left Purgatory when I was 12. All she left behind was a note that read 'I can't be in this town anymore, Baby girl. I'm sorry.' and left, without even saying goodbye." She says, her voice cracking with emotion.

I cannot fight the urge to comfort her any longer and reach out to take her hand. "Hey, it's okay. She came back though, right?" I say softly, trying my very best to sooth her. 

She looks up at me with such surprise that I start to pull my hand away. It wouldn't move. Who knew an angel's grip could be both so gentle and so strong? Finally she nods in response."Yeah, she did. And It made me so happy. But sometimes I find her gone from the Homestead again. I can't seem to get her to stay." She tells me softly. 

I squeeze her hand and gaze at her with as much gentle warmth as I can possibly manage "I'm sorry, Waves." The nickname just slips out before I could stop myself. Fearing the worst, I look over at Waverly warily. To my surprise, a small smile seems to have replaced the sadness from before. 

"Its okay. I am a big girl, I can handle it." She says determinedly. Then more softly she adds "But it does get lonely sometimes." Her hazel eyes look up at me with that look that has me feeling like I just ran the Comrades marathon. Twice. 

Her eyes then seem to drop to my… lips?! She looks at me with an intensity that I haven't seen in her before. I find myself automatically moving closer to her, drawn in like a useless moth to an ethereal flame. She makes no move to stop me and it almost looks like… is she...is she leaning in too… does she…want to kiss me??? Our lips are mere inches apart and then…I panic like a dumbass and pull away. 

"Uh… so…I love this song!" I say nervously and the spell is broken. Chicken shit. You idiot. Ironically the song currently playing was Baby by Justin Bieber, which I dispise.

She looks at me with a frown. Was she disappointed perhaps or unhappy that we just almost kissed? Either way, I caused that look on her face. I panicked. I was scared. I couldn't believe that just maybe she wanted me too. And now I blew it and may never have the chance again. Well done, Captain Loser.

I am pulled from my sorrowful monologue by the voice belonging to the cause of my turmoil. "Is that… Champ?!" She exclaims, our previous interaction seemingly forgotten. I don't know whether to cry forever or... Nope I just want to cry forever. 

I sigh internally and then follow her gaze to find the clearly intoxicated boy-man stumbling from The Trailer Park. Wow, what a shocker. Champ Hardy is also amongst the unsavory characters that frequent Bobo's temple of sin. "Yeah, that's him allright." I say, unable to stop my smug smile. This could come in handy later. 

Next to me Waverly shakes her head. "Can't believe I had any attraction to him." Well, that was unexpected. The fragile hope in my heart starts to bleed out fast. And it hurts. Of course the girl I was madly in love with is straight. Why does this always happen to me? I feel like rolling up into a ball and just weeping with all the sorrow in my heart. 

Unaware of the sob story currently unfolding inside my head, Waverly turns up the radio as another song comes on. It becomes quiet in the car as we wait for any further action from The Trailer Park. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It's 12h30am when I wake up from an apparent nap. I feel a warm weight on me and find that a goddess has decided to use my shoulder as a pillow. I take a moment to look at the perfection that is a sleeping Waverly Earp. 

I sigh, I would never be able to get her out of my mind. I'm already too far gone and now I don't have any chance at all. As I am about to give up on the stake out and start the car, I spot him. 

Bobo exits The Trailer Park, wearing his godawful coat and smoking a cigar. Next to him walks a woman. Something about her has my gut feeling going crazy. She doesn't look like any of the other girls I saw at the night club previously. She is holding onto Bobo's arm and laughs at every word coming out of his mouth. 

Who could she be? I decide to take a picture just in case. Then I start the car and head back to the Purgatory Post to drop Waverly off at her car and head home. Tomorrow I was going to find out more about this mystery woman, perhaps she could be my way into Bobo Del Rey's underworld.


	5. Chapter 5

The woman in the picture stares back at me. I have no name, no way of knowing who she could be. I've tried Googling her, but "Bobo Del Rey girlfriend" or "Bobo Del Rey sister" brought up nothing. Hell, I even tried daughter. Once again Bobo Del Rey has managed to trump me. There is nothing on his personal life anywhere. All I have is the meagre notes from the interview, and he never mentioned a woman in his story. 

I sigh and run my hand through my short hair, disappointed at not having any further leads.

"Haught! Get in here, now!" Nedley's voice booms across the office, making me jump to attention. I ignore the stares brought forth by the shout of my name by our superior. Everyone knows that Nedley only shouts when he is unhappy about something. I sigh again and get up to face my fate. I don't notice the hazel eyes looking on in concern as I make my way to the boss's office. 

Once there I almost want to cower under the stare of a very disgruntled looking Randy Nedley. "Sir, you wanted to see me?" I ask, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. 

"What the hell is this?" He says picking up what appears to be a report. I squint and read Del Rey in a paragraph. Oh. The report on Bobo. "Uh, it's my report on Bobo, sir." 

Nedley looks even more disgruntled at my words, his glare taking years off my life. I respect him like one would a good father figure and I hate to have been the source of his disappointment. "I know what it is, damn it. What I don't get is why it barely says anything."

"I know, sir. It's just that Bobo wasn't in the mood for sharing. That was all I could get before he basically threw me out of The Trailer Park."

Nedley wipes his hand across his face and looks at me intently. "This is not good reporting, Haught. You knew this would most likely be the only chance we'd have on landing an official Bobo Del Rey story. You barely got a damn paragraph here. We need the good stuff, the juice." 

I set my jaw and nod. "I know that sir. But I'm not done with the story yet. When I was at The Trailer Park, I got a strong feeling that there is something more going on there, his employees were all acting strange and the moment I wanted to interview them, Bobo dismissed me. Mr Del Rey is not what he seems and I am going to find out why. I already have a possible lead."

Nedley's ire seems to fade slightly, replaced with intrigue at my words. "What lead?" He asks gruffy.

"I went on a uh.. stake out last night, to scope out The Trailer Park." At this Nedley laughs and says "Stake out? What are we, cops?" with a shake of his head. 

I smile, relieved to be the butt of his joke rather than his anger now. "Well, it actually proved to be somewhat useful. I spotted Bobo leaving with a woman, she looked different to the other girls in the night club. She seemed to be someone close to him, of importance. This may seem crazy sir, but my gut tells me that she could be our way into Bobo Del Rey's empire."

I expected another laugh from Nedley, but to my surprise he looks at me intently for a long moment before nodding. "Allright, Haught. If you think this could be something, go ahead. Get me Bobo Del Rey." 

Overjoyed at his trust in me, a huge smile takes over my features. "Thank you, sir. I will." He gives me a final nod and I exit his office.

I'm still thinking about how well that meeting turned out when I notice a certain boy-man making his rounds in the office. His next target is my stake out partner and the girl who lives in my mind rent free. Remembering Waverly's reasons for working late sometimes, I decide to take action. 

Just as Champ is about to open his trap to spew some patriarchal bullshit at my angel, I intercept him. "Champ. Hi there." He looks at me in bewilderment, then his face takes on an expression of extreme annoyance. 

"What do you want, Nicole?" He says in a way that let's me know he doesn't give a shit what I want, my name sounding like poison on his tongue.

Completely ignoring his scathing tone, I say "Nedley said he wants to see you in his office. Something about some pictures of you taken last night."

At my words Champ becomes visibly pale and stammers. "Oh shit." He then makes a beeline for Nedley's office so fast, I swear a trail of smoke followed his departure. 

I smile smugly to myself, only brought from my victorious reverie by the sound of angelic giggles behind me. They add all the years and infinitely more to those I lost when entering Nedley's office today. 

I turn around and smile at the source of my longevity. After our stake out last night, and what very almost happened, Waverly hasn't been acting any differently towards me. No amount of money could compare to the relief I felt at this. She smiles at me, and my heart smiles back. 

"I can't believe you just did that." She says mid giggle. I smile my most charming dimpled smile. 

"I am just your friendly neighbourhood Nicole, saving damsels from boy-man induced distress." I say smoothly. Geez Haught, are you flirting with her now? In my defence, she does giggle again at my words. It feels like I just won a gold medal at the Flirt Olympics.

She smiles back at me."Well, this damsel is very grateful towards her gallant saviour." Did she just…flirt back? Forget the damn medal. I just took the tournament. My heart beats faster than Usain Bolt in the 100m. I just nod like an idiot at her. 

Her face takes on a more serious expression. "Seriously though, Nicole. Thanks for doing that. I really wasn't in the mood for Champ today. Or ever." The hope slowly flows back into my heart at her words. 

"Uh, it was no problem." I say dumbly. I am so far gone for this girl, not even Liam Neesen could get me back. 

She smiles at me again. Then she looks down slightly and tucks her hair behind her ear, almost shyly. I am not sure what to make of this. "Uhm. Wynonna is having a little get together at Shorty's tonight. I was wondering if maybe… you would like to come?" I almost scoff at the hesitation in her voice. I would follow her anywhere. Simply put, where she goes, I'd go. As long as she wants me to, of course. 

I give her my warmest smile and nod earnestly."I'd love to, Waves." There it is again. The nickname. Once again I am surprised to see that she seems to light up at my use of it. I decide that I will use it going forward without hesitation. Her responding smile has me make another mental note to check where I can obtain a guide dog if need be. 

"Okay, awesome. I look forward to having you there then. It starts at 7pm." She says, the shyness seeming to be replaced with a bit more confidence. Damn, that's sexy. Hold your horses Haught, she just invited you to a small party. It's not a marriage proposal. I internally roll my eyes at myself. 

"I'll be there." I say with another attempt at a dashing smile as I trot off to my own desk. Once again Waverly Earp has me looking forward to my evening. 

On my desk the picture of the mysterious woman stares back at me. Remembering something, I pick up the phone and dial a familiar number. "Hello, this is Xavier Dolls." the person on the other end says. 

"Dolls, I need your help with something." I tell him. 

"Haught, one of these days you are gonna need to start paying me. You can't just phone your cop friend everytime you are in trouble." He says with mock seriousness, but I know he doesn't mean it. Dolls and I have been friends since college. He studied criminal law and became a cop. I have gotten into many a scuffle when chasing a lead and he has always gotten me out. I know he always has my back, and I have his. 

"Yeah yeah, I'll make sure to mention your name when I win a Pullitzer." I tell him cockily. 

"Mmm okay, works for me. I'm going to hold you to that. Anyways, how can I help?" he offers and I can hear the smile in his voice. 

"I need your help in identifying someone. I have a picture, which I'll email you now." I say as I pick up the photograph from my desk. 

"Sure thing, Haught. I'll see what I can do." He says and I can hear the sound of his chair moving closer to his desk. 

"Thanks, Dolls. You're the best." I say as I hang up the phone. I find the digital version of the picture on my computer and attach it to an email, sending it to dollsnotdead@gmail.com.

I lean back in my chair, feeling really satisfied about how this day has turned out so far. Then I remember that I have a party to prepare for which will be attended by the queen of my heart, her sister and most likely all the other important people in her life. The smile falls from my face and is replaced by panic. What have I gotten my self into? 

This has indeed turned out to be quite the day. Hopefully tonight will be less eventful. Knowing my luck though, this will probably not be the case. I shake these thoughts from my head as best I can and refocus my attention on the rest of my work for the day.


	6. Chapter 6

It's 6h55 pm and Shorty's glares at me from the entrance of the bar. I smooth down my blue button up and take a deep breath. Then I place my hand on the door and enter. 

The first thing I notice is that Doc is not behind the bar like the last time I was here. Instead, a brunette woman is busy serving the drinks. Doc is leaning on the other side of the counter, deep in conversation with a different brunette woman. The way he is smiling at her has me thinking she must be Wynonna Earp.

On the other side of the bar I see the Post's photographer, Jeremy Chetri, speaking to a handsome man with fair hair and a warm smile. I am not surprised Waverly invited him. I have seen them laughing together and talking a lot at work. They are good friends. On spotting me, Jeremy raises his eyebrows. A smile then consumes his features as he walks over to me. "Nicole! Didn't expect to see you here. Aren't you usually still at the office now?" 

I smile and rub my hand behind my neck sheepishly. "Yeah. Uhm Waverly invited me, actually." At this he raises his eyebrows again and then smiles at me knowingly, as if he knew some secret I was unaware of. I am still trying to analyze this when the handsome man comes up behind us, wrapping his arm around Jeremy's waist. 

"Nicole, this is Robin. My boyfriend." He says proudly then turns to Robin and gestures to me excitedly. "Babe, this is Nicole Haught, one of the Post's best."

I shake my head at Jeremy's praise and smile warmly, reaching out my hand to Robin. "It's very nice to meet you." He smiles back "You too, Miss Heat." The mirth in his eyes prevents me from correcting him. 

"Hey, Nicole." The voice of heaven herself startles me out of my conversation with Jerobin. I turn to face the embodiment of perfection and my heart is completely unprepared. 

Waverly stands in front of me with jeans so tight, I can see every curve. To make matters worse for my health, she is wearing a crop top. Never thought that an item of clothing, or lack thereof, could be a possible cause of death. Pretty sure I was gaping at her like some unsexy fish, trying to get oxygen back into my breathless lungs. I tighten my hands into fists to prevent them from following through with my thought of running my hands over glorious abs on sun-kissed valleys of perfect skin. 

Finally I somehow manage to get in just enough oxygen to allow me to form words. "Uh, hey there Waves. What are you doing here?" Apparently the oxygen was not enough to allow for brain function. 

She giggles at me, my dumbass somehow still managing to make her laugh wonderfully instead of causing her to flee.

I recover from my momentary stupor just enough to speak normally. "Uh I mean it's nice to see you. And uh...you look great." Wow, real smooth Romeo. 

At my words Waverly's cheeks take on a pretty russet color. Is she…blushing? Perhaps the situation is not completely lost. She smiles again and her happiness catalyzes the rapid beat of my heart. 

She looks down and tucks her hair behind her ear. "Thanks. You look great too." She thinks I look great?? I mentally fist bump for going with my lucky blue button up. I just smile at her in response, turning up my dimples to the full setting. She looks up at me with that look that sets every cell in my body on fire. 

The spell is broken by a new voice behind me. "Who have we got here, Baby girl?" Waverly smiles at the intruder. "Wyn, this is Nicole." I turn around to greet the brunette woman I saw with Doc earlier, now confirmed to be Waverly's sister. 

"Hi, I'm Nicole Haught, you must be Wynonna." I say with a smile and offer her my hand. Her piercing blue eyes seem to look right through me. She nods as she shakes my hand. "Nice to meet ya too, Red. Then her face takes on a thoughtful expression. "Wait, is your name Nicole Haught? Like hot?" Oh no. I internally groan. Here we go. 

Her eyes take on a sly look. "Oh this is great." She smiles mischievously. "So Haught potato. You a reporter too, like Waves here? You always chasing the next Haught Topic?" She starts laughing and my fists tighten for a different reason now. Pretty sure my face clearly shows my lack of amusement. 

Luckily, an angel comes to my rescue."Wynonna! She is our guest. Stop being an ass." The tiny brunette scolds her older sister and the latter woman shrugs, but does seem to back off. I make a mental note: angry Waverly is very sexy. "Geez relax, Baby girl. I'm just having some fun with Haught pants. She your girlfriend or something?"

My eyes must have widened in a very comical way. Waverly and I stammer in sync "No!" We look at each other sheepishly, then look away just as quickly.

When I look towards Wynonna again, her eyes seem to be taking me in, in a new light. She appears to be…analyzing me? 

Luckily I am saved from any further awkward conversation when my phone rings. I immediately answer upon seeing the familiar caller ID. "Dolls?" 

"Haught, I got a hit on that photo." Dolls informs me. I raise my eyebrows, this gets Waverly's attention on the conversation too, she turns toward me with questioning eyes. "That's fantastic news. What have you got for me?" I ask enthusiastically. 

"There was very little info available on her. But I did manage to get a name. Eve Adolpha. It's not much, but I will keep looking into it." I furrow my brows. The name doesn't ring any bells. Mmm. Perhaps someone else in Purgatory might know something on this Eve. 

"No, this is great. Thanks Dolls. I owe you one." I tell my friend sincerely. 

"No problem, just name your first born after me." Dolls says and I can hear the smirk in his voice. We say our goodbyes and I end the phone call. 

Waverly looks at me questioningly. "Everything okay?" She asks with concern and it warms my heart to think that she cares about me. 

"Oh, yeah. That was my cop friend, Dolls. When you were asleep during the stake out last night, I saw Bobo exit the building with a woman. My gut told me she could be of importance so I took a picture of her. I was going to tell you, but you were quite exhausted last night and we both got so busy with work today." I tell her honestly and she nods. 

"Oh, that's great news! You have a possible lead then?" She looks at me with a mix of awe and…pride? I am suddenly struggling to breathe again. I rub my neck and look down bashfully. "Uh yeah, sort of. I guess."

She touches my arm and I'm surprised my shirt doesn't set alight. "No, Nicole. You did excellent work, well done! You are a great reporter." She says and the honesty and warmth in her voice has me wishing for eternity with her. 

I just nod dumbly, not sure how to handle praise coming from the goddess who deserves it most just for existing."Thank you, Waverly."

"Oh, but what did Dolls tell you? Could he get something on her?" she asks, intrigue shining in her eyes. The reporter in her needing to know all the facts, and I find it very attractive. 

"Yeah. He said her name is Eve Adolpha."

At this Waverly becomes pensive, her brow furrowing adorably and her hand goes to her chin as she ponders the information. "Hmm that's quite an interesting name. I have never heard of her." She looks back up at me, her eyes alight with hope. "Perhaps I can do some research on it for you?" she asks me, and her enthusiasm warms my soul. She is just as much of a great reporter as she claims me to be. 

"That would be great, Waves." I say the nickname easily now, without any hesitation. She smiles and to my surprise, wraps her hands around my neck and hugs me. I stand there shocked, unable to form anything resembling words, when someone clears their throat next to us. Waverly removes her arms from my neck and the disappointment at losing her nearness catches me off guard. It was just a hug, geez Haught. And yet, it felt so right. She fit against my body perfectly, like I was an unfinished puzzle and she was the only piece that would make my existence complete. 

I am brought from my thoughts when the one who interrupted us, the bartender, speaks. "Hey, I couldn't help but overhear you talking just now about Bobo?" This intrigues me, does she know something perhaps? "Uh, yeah that's right. We are doing an investigation on him for an article." 

"For the Post?" she asks, to which I nod and she continues. "I might be able to help you. My name is Rosita by the way." She informs me. "Nicole Haught, nice to meet you. Any help or information on Bobo Del Rey would be much appreciated, so please do share." Next to me Waverly moves closer, the journalist in her also very intrigued. 

"I have two jobs. This one during the night and then I also tend the bar at The Trailer Park twice a week during the day, Mondays and Wednesdays." She informs us. She works there? This is great, she could have some good info. I nod for her to continue. 

"I've gotten some weird vibes from the other employees there. No one wants to talk to me if I try initiating conversation. They all just focus on their work, and become even more stoic when Bobo is around." I nod at this, telling her "Yeah I noticed that when I was there Tuesday. It's very weird." 

Rosita nods and continues. "He ain't around most of the time, either out or in the back." She then leans forward and lowers her voice. "Whenever I do see him though, there always seems to be a new girl with him that I haven't seen before. They always come in looking happy. When I see them again, it's usually a few weeks later when they have been employed. They always look and act all strange when I see them that second time. Kind of like they are robots. It's really weird." 

Unease creeps up my spine. I look at Waverly out of the corner of my eye and can see her shiver slightly, and she is wearing a frown. She must feel just as unsettled as I am. Suddenly bold, I place my hand gently on her lower back to provide comfort. I hope she doesn't think me a creep. To my relief she appears to relax at my touch, the frown lines leaving her beautiful face. 

"That is very odd. Do you have any Idea why that may be?" She asks Rosita. 

"I am not sure. But I made friends with one of the dancers while working there, Mercedes." 

"What makes you and Mercedes different to the other girls who got jobs at The Trailer Park?" Waverly asks. "You seem quite normal."

"Mercedes and I were both hired via a recruitment agency and not by Bobo directly." Rosita explains. 

"You think he does something that makes them act all weird like that?" Waverly asks the bartender. 

"I have no proof, but Bobo seems to be the the common denominator." Rosita replies with a nod. Waverly seems satisfied by the explanation and Rosita continues.

"Mercedes pretends to be dumb and ignorant, but you shouldn't underestimate her. She is always watching everything going on in The Trailer Park. We take lunch together and she tells me everything when we are alone, away from the robots." At that moment Wynonna shouts across the bar for Rosita to come pour her another whiskey. Knowing the Earp well, Rosita just rolls her eyes and ignores Wynonna to continue the conversation. 

"One time Mercedes walked past the purple curtains behind which Bobo's office is at the back on her way to the bathroom, and she overheard a conversation between Bobo and some other men about the docks and a shipment coming in on Saturday. She couldn't make out much more, but she did say she always sees Bobo leave The Trailer Park every Saturday night around 11pm."

"You think he is going to the docks to pickup up this shipment." I state rather than ask, connecting the dots. 

Rosita nods. "It could be nothing, but perhaps you should look into it." I smile at her gratefully. "This is really helpful, we will definitely look into it. Thank you so much, Rosita." She nods and smiles back, just as Wynonna starts to holler with more enthusiasm. Rosita rolls her eyes dramatically. "Sorry, duty calls." She says as she walks over to serve the demanding Earp. 

"Something is off at The Trailer Park. What do you make of it?" Waverly asks when we are alone again.

"Something dodgy is definitely going on there, Waves. And Bobo Del Rey is behind it all. Perhaps we should have a look at the docks this Saturday. You up for another mission?" I ask her warmly, full of hope. 

Her eyes seem to spark with wonder at my words."We? You want me to join you?" She asks and once again I am reminded that I need to find the person who made her think she is not worthy and punch their lights out. 

I look at her seriously and convey as much honesty with my eyes as I can. "Yes, I'd want to do it with no one else. Only if you want to, that is. "

She smiles her most blinding smile. "Of course, I'd love to!" she tells me enthusiastically, to which I smoothly respond with "It's a date then, partner." 

She blushes and it takes a lot for me to not combust with happiness right then. A poppy song starts to play on the jukebox and Waverly grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet. 

We spent the rest of the night dancing and talking. it turned out to be a great night after all, despite my fears. And with this new lead, we may be just one step closer to finally getting Bobo Del Rey. I shake these thoughts away and commit to my dorky dance move as Waverly smiles at me.


	7. Chapter 7

It's 10h45pm on Saturday. Waverly and I find ourselves within the confines of my Mazda once more, parked at an inconspicuous spot with a good view of the docks. It's 15 minutes until we'll find out if Rosita's lead proves to be true. 

After the party, Waverly demanded my phone number. Her reasoning being that partners need to communicate, you see. I could do nothing but give in to her request, one cannot argue with such wisdom. We decided that I'd pick her up at the Earp Homestead at 10h15pm. After our mandatory trip to the grocery store for what Waverly deems "essential investigation nutrition" (aka snacks), we arrived at the docks. 

Besides the sound of a ship horn from somewhere in the distance, it is very quiet. I cannot see anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps this would be a bust. Well, at least I get to spend more time in the presence of perfection. 

I am pulled from my cheezy reverie when Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams starts to play on the radio. I reach for the volume dial with such enthusiasm that the angel next to me startles. I look at her apologetically. "Sorry. This is my favourite song, I know all the words!" 

Waverly's eyes seem to have starlight shimmering in them and she smiles at me again. My favourite smile along with my favourite song. Now that is called winning, people. "I love this song too, turn it up!" The joy this woman brings me is immeasurable, I tell you. I nod with a joyful smile of my own and turn up the volume. 

We rock out together like idiots in my Mazda at 10h50pm on a Saturday at the docks, my air guitar skills causing my gorgeous passenger to giggle. I have never felt more alive. 

When the song ends, we start talking about the types of music we love. We are in the middle of debating if Sia's voice is actually good or just annoying, when the sound of a rapidly approaching boat draws our attention to the pier. 

Sure enough, a large speedboat makes its way over, slowing down to dock. There are various crates stacked on it. I look closer to make out the name on the side of the boat, but Waverly jumps the gun on me. "Eve! The boat's name is, Eve!" 

"Can't be a coincidence." I concur. When focusing on the driver of the boat, I can make out the form of a woman. It's a little dark to be sure, but I'd bet good money that she was the very same one I saw leave The Trailer Park with Bobo on our first stake out.

"You think that could be her?" Waverly asks, leaning forward to try and see a bit better. I nod "I think so, Waves." 

Two pick-up trucks arrive at the docks then. Four figures exit each vehicle, and the posse of 8 goons walk toward where the boat had docked. One exchanges a few words with the woman on the boat and then they start to unload the crates onto the pier. 

Next to me, I can feel Waverly fidget. "I can't see or hear anything." Before I can respond, she jumps out of the car and runs toward the docks, toward the danger. My life pretty much flashed before my eyes right then. I did say previously that I'd go wherever she goes. So with a dramatic sigh, I also get out and run after her. 

Nearing the docks, we both go into crouched positions. "Waverly. This is crazy, you could get yourself killed!" I whispershout at my brave little toaster. 

She turns back to me, determination in her eyes. "Nicole, we won't get Bobo if we just sit in your car like two mushrooms. This is the only way we might get something to prove that gut of yours is right." I am taken aback once more at her unwavering faith in my instincts. So I set my jaw and nod at her. "Allright. Lead the way captain." She gives me a small smile and we move forward. 

We head closer, zig zagging between crates and barrels on the pier until we get behind a crate that is close enough to make out conversation. 

We are so close now that if one of the goons were to walk this way he would certainly see us. All of them are carrying rifles, we'd most likely be shot on site. My heart beats wildly inside my chest and I can hear Waverly's rapid breathing next to me. 

"Careful, you idiot. The Wolf will have your head if you damage the product." One of the goons says to another, who almost dropped the crate he was carrying. The Wolf? "Waves, Bobo asked me about wolves in the interview." I whisper to my partner. "Oh yeah, it's gotta be Bobo." She replies with a clench of her jaw that does things to me. 

One of the goons walks over and places a crate about 16 feet from us. It appears to have a small crack at the bottom. Waverly sees this too. As soon as the goon is far enough away again Waverly guns it for the crate, to my absolute horror. "Waverly!" I hiss at her. She ignores me. Goddess does what goddess wants. 

I look on helplessly as Waverly sticks a nailfile into the hole, causing a purple powder to pour out. What the hell was that? Drugs? To my surprise, Waverly removes a tiny plastic bag from her pocket and starts to fill it up with the powder. This girl is a damn genius. Stupidly brave and a genius. I have never been more in love. 

I am ripped from my reverie when I see one of the goons approaching. Shit, he will definitely see Waverly! What do we do Haught, think! My eye spots a metal rod lying mere inches from me. Distraction! I grab it with haste just as the man is 5 feet from Waverly, just one more step and he would see her. I throw the metal rod over the crate with all my might. The man immediately whirls around at the sound of the rod hitting a crate on the opposite side of the pier. "What the?" he says, and starts walking away. The relief flows through my veins like water dousing flames. 

Waverly finally seems to be done with her sample collection and heads back to me. We didn't notice another man coming over. "Hey!" he shouts and we both make a break for it, sprinting for all we are worth. I stay behind Waverly to make sure she gets away. I expected to hear gunshots, but the only sounds are that of my heart trying to break free from my ribcage and our rapid footfalls. 

We can't go back to the car, for fear they might recognize it later so I grab Waverly's hand and head in the opposite direction. We finally duck into an alleyway between two warehouses and come to a stop, both breathing heavily. I brave a look behind us, but see no one. We seemed to be out of harm's way.

"I can't believe we just did that." Waverly says, still trying to catch her breath. She hasn't let go of my hand yet, and it makes my almost calmed heart start up again. 

"Yeah and if you ever do that to me again, I think I may just die." I tell her seriously. Her eyes then take on that intense look that very nearly kills me everytime. To my astonishment she rushes forward and places a kiss to my cheek, her lips warm and soft against my skin. I am left frozen, my breath catching in my throat for a different reason now. 

At my obviously dumbstruck expression she giggles, the stars vibrantly dancing within her hazel eyes. We might just have escaped death, but I just had the best ending to a Saturday night ever. "Thanks for distracting that guy for me." She says sweetly. 

"No problem. I'd shoo anybody for you." I tell her dumbly. She smiles at me and I am reminded once again as to why I started believing in magic. 

Remembering something, she takes out the plastic bag containing the sample we risked our lives for. The purple crystals glint in the moonlight. "What do you think it is?" Waverly asks with a frown. 

"Looks like some sort of drug. Whatever it is, it's gotta be highly illegal for the level of security on that shipment." I say deep in thought. Then I look back up at her. "How did you know you may need to sample something?" 

Waverly just smiles and says "I am a journalist, Nicole. You always have to be ready for any proof." the smirk she is wearing further ruining my heart's attempt at slowing down to normal. 

Recovering, I smiled warmly at the brave keeper of my heart. "All right Magnum P. I. Let's get out of here, shall we? I think we have had enough adventures for one night." She mockingly salutes at my words and pulls me by the hand. We make our way around the back of the warehouse and head to the parking lot. When we finally reach the car, the goons and the boat are long gone.


	8. Chapter 8

It's 12h30pm on Monday and I am busy taping up the box containing the sample Waverly managed to get on Saturday, finally getting a chance to do this after the busy morning I had. A piece of duct tape gets stuck on my finger and decides to get clingy. I shake my hand like an idiot to get it off when I hear the voice of my angel from behind me "Hey there, partner!" 

I very quickly put my hand behind my back, hoping she didn't notice my idiotic attempt at freeing my fingers from the devious piece of tape. "Waves! Hi! " I greet her with a smile. "How has your Monday been so far?" 

"It's been pretty great, actually. My first interview for the day went really well. It's for an article on Purgatory's water quality." She says proudly. It makes me unfathomably happy to hear her finally directing some pride towards herself, no one is more deserving. "No surprise there, Waves. Any interview done by you would be great, your journalistic skills are beyond excellent." I tell her honestly. 

She blushes and I give myself a mental high five. But then her eyes shift to my missing hand, trailing it to its hiding place behind my back."Why are you keeping your hand back there?" she asks with an inquisitive smile. 

Unable to continue hiding my faux pas, I bring forward the scene of the crime. "Uh, well I kinda got into a sticky situation." I cringe at my choice of words, but angelic giggles relieves my self loathing. When Waverly giggles at something I did or said, it makes me feel like I can do pretty much anything. Even win wars on evil tape wanting to take over your fingers. 

She takes my hand gently, as if she were inspecting a wound. Tenderly, she removes the cause of my distress. "There. All gone." she smiles so sweetly that I make a mental note to add diabetic treatment next to guide dog on my Waverly survival list. 

"Want me to kiss it better?" I almost choke at her words, but nod dumbly anyway. She places a featherlight kiss to the spot where I had been "injured". I swear it really does feel better, her lips cure wounds that aren't even there. She should really think of becoming a doctor. Luckily, it was lunchtime and there were very few people in the office to witness my dumbass hyperventilating over a kiss to my hand. 

She smiles sweetly at me again and then her face takes on a look of excitement. I love when she becomes enthusiastic like this, it's adorably intriguing to witness. "Oh I still wanted to tell you, I did some research on Eve. Didn't find much on her per se, but her surname brought up some interesting results. Adolpha is a girl's name of German origin. Guess what it means!" she asks, looking at me with enthusiastic expectation. 

Not wanting to take anything away from her, and not actually having any idea as to the meaning, I just shake my head."I have no idea, Waves. Please do tell me." I tell her, putting my hands beneath my chin to convey that I was eagerly awaiting her every word. I really am such a dope, huh. What can I say, love makes you act like a nut. She smiles widely at me, flecks of joy lighting up her hazel eyes. 

"Okay, so get this. Adolpha means noble she-wolf. Wolf! Just like we heard at the docks!" She practically shouts in glee and gauges my reaction eagerly. I raise my eyebrows slightly, mulling this information over in my head. "Wow, that is very intriguing indeed. So if Bobo were the hypothetical wolf, that would then make Eve his…lover?" I say as I rub my chin in thought. I then look back at Waverly, my eyes encouraging her input.

The light in her eyes becomes even brighter and she says "Yes! That is exactly what I am thinking too." Then she frowns. "They sure have a weird obsession with wolves though." 

I laugh lightly at her words as I nod in agreement. "You are right about that, Bobo even has this ugly fur coat he always wears. Along with his mohawked hair and white beard, it really makes him look the part." 

"Yeah, maybe it's suppose to be intimidating or something. Or he just likes feeling like a dog." she responds with such seriousness that I can't help but laugh again. Funny, smart and beautiful. Does she even realize how perfect she is? 

"Yeah. Whatever the reason behind the Wolf moniker, we now know that he and Eve are partners in some unsavory business."

"Speaking of unsavory business, have you sent our sample to your cop friend yet?" At Waverly's question, I move my hand to pat the box on my desk. "Yep, just finished taping it up and will give him a call now." 

She looks very content at this. "That's fantastic news! Thank you, Nicole." Then she tucks her hair behind her ear and looks down in that adorably shy way of hers. 

"We make a really good team, huh?" she says softly, looking back up to me with that intensity that makes my heart feel like it did on Saturday during our escape. I listen just to make sure she cannot hear my embarrassingly loud heartbeats before I answer. 

"Yeah, Waves. We really do." I respond, conveying complete honesty and sincerity with my soft gaze towards her. She looks at me then as if I hung the moon and stars in the sky. I feel like I am the Queen of the world right then, so perhaps it were possible. 

We are only broken out of this trance when Lonnie passes my desk with an obnoxious "Hiya, Haught!" I roll my eyes at the idiot and have to fight real hard not to let out a growl. Waverly giggles at what I can only imagine is an extremely annoyed expression on my face. 

Then, as if remembering something, she says "Oh, I also wanted to ask you something. You mentioned that you took a picture of Eve?" I nod in confirmation. "I was wondering if I could borrow it, think it might help with my research." 

"Sure. No problem, Waves. I can't wait to see the wonderful things your amazing research will find for us." I tell her smoothly, dimples on full display. I do another mental fist bump at her responding smile. Then I open one of my drawers and rifle through it to find the file containing the picture. I remove it from it's sleeve and hand it to Waverly. 

Upon seeing the picture, Waverly's eyes widen suddenly, something like shock taking over her features. "It… it can't be.." 

I am completely lost as to what has caused this reaction, but before I can ask, she starts walking rapidly towards the exit of the office. "Waverly! What's going on?" I shout after her. She stops just as she reaches the door. "Sorry, Nicole. There is just something I have to do. I promise I'll tell you later." She says over her shoulder and then she's gone.

I am completely baffled at what just happened, but I trust Waverly fully. Putting my questions to the back of my mind, I return my attention to the box on my desk and dial a number I know by heart. "Hey Dolls, I need another favour." 

I do a quick explanation about the sample we need analyzed. He agrees without question and we end the call. I then contact the courier company to come pick up the box. Now all we can do is wait. 

Sighing at being alone once more, I start on my other tasks left for the day. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Its 4h00 pm when Waverly comes rushing back into the office and walks straight towards my desk. I try not to look too eager at her return, even though the rest of my day has been a void without her. I make out a very determined look on her face as she nears my desk. 

I prepare my most charming smile for her, but it drops from my face when another figure obscures my glorious view. To my further dismay I see the figure belongs to Shae Pressman. "Hi, Nicole." from over her shoulder I can see Waverly slowing down. 

My distress must show on my face as Shae then says the words which ruins everything. "What? Are you not happy to see your wife?" Oh no. I look to see if Waverly had heard her. I just barely make out the frown on Waverly's face before she whips around and walks rapidly in the opposite direction. And just like that my perfect Monday ended in the start of my nightmare.


	9. Chapter 9

It's 9am on Tuesday and I find myself in front of the courthouse. My hand reaches to check my phone for the millionth time. Not for the time or an email, but rather I am desperately checking to see if Waverly has responded to any of the messages I have sent her. She hasn't. I sigh. 

"This girl sure has you whipped."

I snap my head to glare at my companion. To my annoyance Shae wears her signature cocky smile. "Not that it is any of your business, but I really happen to like her." My eyes soften. "A lot." Like and a lot were putting it very mildly. My feelings run much deeper, but Shae didn't need to know the level of gone I was for Waverly. 

Shae just laughs softly. "I'm just messing with you. I can see how much you...like her." She looks at me with a knowing smile. I really suck at hiding the amount of head over I am, huh. "Yeah, well after your perfect timing, that is no longer an option." I tell her with a frown showing my annoyance. 

"Look, I admit my timing sucked. I'm sorry she had to hear me out of context like that. But you are a great person and an excellent judge of character. That look you get whenever you say her name tells me she must be special." 

I roll my eyes. "I don't have a look." 

"You don't think you have a look for...Waverly?" Too late I realise I was wearing the in love puppy look at the thought of the angelic brunette who owns my heart. Shae wears a shit eating grin and I just roll my eyes again in defeat. It's literally impossible for someone not to smile like an idiot at the thought of Waverly Earp. 

"Yeah okay, you got me. And she is. Special, I mean." I say and it's some of the most factual words that have ever left my mouth. 

"Well, then just talk to her. If she really is as special as you say, she will let you explain." 

I nod and smile at my soon to be ex-wife. Shae is a great person and we are good friends. But marriages initiated in a rushed Vegas wedding just weren't meant to last. We grew apart, having different views on what we wanted in life. She is a career driven doctor and I am happy go lucky reporter. We hadn't truly been married for quite a while, she moved out months ago. So we finally decided to officially get the divorce, scheduled for today.

Shae was actually coming to talk to me about that yesterday, but Waverly didn't know that part. I have to fix this fast or I will be hopelessly in love with a goddess, without any hope for the rest of my life. 

"Allright, Mrs Wise, let's get this over with." We walk into the building to officially be made single women again. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

When I return to the office around 11h30am, I make a beeline for Waverly's desk. To my utter disappointment, I see that it is unoccupied. Jeremy walks over to place an envelope, of what I guess is some photographs for an article, into Waverly's 'In' tray.

"Hey, Nicole." He greets me warmly. "You looking for Waverly?" Nah I just like creeping around her desk for fun, I deadpan internally. On the outside I keep a straight face, not wishing to be mean to Jeremy. 

"Uh.. yes, actually. Do you perhaps know where she is?" He gets that knowing look in his eyes that I don't quite understand. "Yeah, she is at the mall. She and some of the others are covering the opening of the new gym. Apparently the mayor is also giving a speech on the importance of living healthy lifestyles, it's a big deal." That means Waverly will be out all day. I have to try really hard to not look devastated.

"Oh, allright then. Thanks for letting me know, Jeremy." He nods and walks away. I sulk back to my desk like a dog with its tail between its legs. The universe just doesn't seem to want me to explain things to Waverly. And it's literally driving me insane. I let out a sigh if such magnitude that Lonnie looks up. I glare at him and he very quickly returns his focus to his report. 

I open up my emails to catch up with everything I had missed in the morning and finalize some of my smaller reports. I don't see Waverly for the rest of the day. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

On Wednesday I make sure to be early at the office to catch Waverly. I check my watch every few minutes and count off the seconds. It's 07h30am when the embodiment of all things perfect finally enters the building, not a hair of out of place. I haven't realised how much I missed her until I saw her right then. I smooth out some wayward wrinkles on my grey button up and take a deep breath as I get up to approach her. 

I am barely three feet away from my desk when one of my other coworkers, Elizah, shouts my name. I literally let out a growl this time. Why can't people just let me explain things to Waverly?! I reluctantly turn to my pursuer. She looks at me warily, as if I was an angry puppy. "What is it?" 

She has the sense to at least look sheepish. "I kinda need a big favour." Oh this just keeps getting better. I sigh in defeat. "Yeah, allright. How can I help?" She smiles gratefully at my response. 

"Well, I just got news my sister is going into labour and I really want to be there for her. But I have a scheduled interview with Beth Gardner this morning at 10am." Beth Gardner is the face of Gardner Chic, everyone in Purgatory knows this. Her father, Joseph Gardner, owns the company. I know what Elizah is about to ask, but nod for her to continue anyway. 

"I was just wondering if maybe you would…cover it for me? Please?" She is practically begging me. Who am I to deny someone from witnessing the birth of their niece/nephew? 

"Sure, Shapiro. Just send me the details before you head off to go become an aunt." she practically lights up."You are literally the best, Nicole! Thank you so much." I just nod and smile as she flits off to her desk. 

I chance a look at Waverly's desk. She appears to be deep in conversation with Perry Croft. My hopeful little heart sinks everytime she smiles at something he says. Damn it. I sit down with a resigned sigh and read through the details of the Gardner gig. Awesome, perfect day so far. Not.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

I arrive at Gardner Chic around 09h50am. The building is a huge warehouse, with a runway in the middle. There are people and clothes everywhere. All the tabloids want the scoop on the new Gardner line.

My eyes finally make out Beth Gardner in the crowd. I walk in her direction. On my way there I witness a man standing below the runway. His phone is held casually in his hand, pointed upwards. Above him on the runway are a few schoolgirls, obviously just wanting to get a feel for the model life. This damn asshole is clearly taking upskirt shots! Not on my damn watch. 

I set my jaw and head purposefully in his direction, when a voice stops me. "Ah, you must be Nicole Haught." Startled, I remove my attention from the man and to the person behind me. It's Beth Gardner.

"Yes, that's right. Nicole Haught, Purgatory Post. Nice to meet you Miss Gardner." I shake her hand, and spare a quick glance over my shoulder toward the runway. Mr Upskirt is gone. He got lucky. If I see him again, so help me...

Beth pulls me out of my murderous thoughts."Shall we start the interview then? We can move over there where it's a bit less noisy and busy. Oh and call me Beth, please." I nod and we walk over to the side, away from the bustle of people. 

I get out my notepad and start the interview. "Allright, Beth. Please tell me about yourself. How did you end up becoming such a successful model?" 

We are on the fifth question when I spot him again, over Beth's shoulder. Mr Upskirt is busy talking to a brunette. Something about the brunette seems familiar. On closer inspection I realise it is none other than Waverly Earp. She has her notebook out an appears to be…interviewing the creep?! 

Beth prattles on, but I am no longer focused on what she is saying. Waverly and Mr Upskirt have my full attention and I am watching their interaction like the Haught hawk that I am. Mr Upskirt then moves his hand subtly to Waverly's arm. I immediately bristle upon seeing this. How. Dare. He.

I see Waverly casually shake his hand off and continue with the interview. But the creep doesn't (or just won't) catch the hint. He places his hand on her thigh this time. Nope. Screw that shit. I jump up, startling Beth beside me. "Miss Haught, what's the matter?"

I barely register her words as I head straight for the man who dared touch my angel. I see Waverly subtly attempt to get him to remove his hand a second time, but he isn't budging. Upon nearing them I shout "Hey! Get your hand off her. She didn't give you consent to do that, it's harassment!" Even I am surprised at my sudden outburst. 

Waverly and the man look at me with raised eyebrows, both clearly startled. The man's startled expression quickly turns into a sneer."Oh I meant no harm. Just showing my guest some friendliness." I scoff.

"Friendliness? Like how you just took some friendly upskirts of some innocent teenage girls at the runway just now?" he looks at me unaffected with a shrug. He must be used to getting away with shit like this. "I don't know what you are talking about. Besides you have no proof." The asshole smiles at me in victory. I can feel my blood begin to boil and I clench my hand tightly into a fist. Before I can do anything rash, I feel Waverly grab my arm and pull me away. 

She looks over her shoulder apologetically and tells the idiot "I am so sorry Mr Gardner, I will be right back." Mr Gardner? He is definitely not Joseph. His son then? 

I am pulled from my contemplation when a very furious angel stops and turns to me once we are outside the building. "What the hell was that, Nicole? Do you even realise who that is? He is Tucker Gardner, Joseph Gardner's son. I was busy with an important interview with him, because his father was not available." Okay, so maybe I kinda messed up by going off on the asshole. But he totally deserved it, the guy is a total creepo. I have zero regrets. 

"Waverly, If you had seen the look on his face you would know he is bad news. I saw how he was touching you." She looks down. I knew she was uncomfortable about it. But then she looks back up at me and her eyes are sparking with an emotion that terrifies me. 

"I am not a child, Nicole. I don't need your protection. Besides, Tucker might be a bit touchy, but at least he doesn't pretend to be someone he is not. He definitely isn't married." There it is. Before I can protest or explain, Waverly rushes back into the building. I call after her as I run to the entrance.

I don't get very far though. A man in a black suit stops me. "Sorry Ma'am, Mr Gardner has requested that you are denied entry." That piece of shit. I sigh in frustration and head back to my car, picking up the phone. "Hey, Dolls. I need another favour." 

"Haught, these favours are becoming really frequent. My boss has been asking questions you know." comes the gruff reply. 

"I know, but this is important. I need you to look into Tucker Gardner. I have a bad feeling about him. See if you can find anything criminal on him." 

"Allright Haught. Your gut is usually right so I'll have a look. But I need some compensation, when are you inviting me over for another barbeque?" The smile in his voice is easy to make out over the phone. 

I finally smile again too. "Wow your price is steep. But It's only fair. How about next Saturday?" 

"Sounds great, Haught. I'm going to keep you to that. Stock up on the beer so long." 

I laugh. "Sure thing, Dolls."

We hang up and I start the car, heading back to the Post. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

I barely make it to my desk when I hear my name leaving Nedley's office at a volume that would strike fear into the mightiest of men. Shit, I'm in trouble. I brace myself and change direction to his office.

He is visually pissed off, his skin is a shade of red that could easily rival my hair. "Haught, you want to tell me why I just had to spend 30 minutes on the phone explaining to Joseph Gardner that he must be mistaken about one of my best reporters harassing his son?" Harassing? Oh the damn irony. 

"Sir, if anyone was doing harassment it was Tucker. I saw him take upskirts of some teenage girls. He was also practically feeling up Waverly." 

At my words Nedley seems to soften. Very slightly. But I'll take it. "Do you have proof of this?" I look down. "Uh no sir…I guess I got too worked up about the situation and didn't think to get any proof." 

Nedley sighs in resignation. "That's not good reporting, Haught. Always get proof." Waverly was the one always getting proof. She really was better at this than I am. 

"Look, Haught. I don't know what has gotten into you today, but I can't have you going off on major stakeholders like that. Even if it is Tucker. Boys will be boys." 

I whip my head up and look up at Nedley. "With all due respect sir, but did I just hit my head and wake up in patriarchal bullshit land?" 

"Watch your damn language, Haught! Allright. I think it's time you took a few days to reflect and just cool down. You never take leave and you are always working late. Maybe that's what is getting to you." Take a day off? Has he gone insane? 

"Sir, I don't need a day off." I tell him with determination. 

He looks at me with his no bullshit look. "I don't care what you think you need. I am telling you to take tomorrow and Friday off. Go do something relaxing. That is an order. You are dismissed." He leaves no room for protest so I just clench my fists and give him a small frustrated nod as I exit his office. 

Once in my car, I drop my head to the steering wheel. Talk about the week from sucktown. I sigh and am about to head home when my phone rings. It's Dolls. "Please tell me you have some good news for me." 

"Geez Haught, buy me dinner first." I scoff at his reply. "You are not my type, buddy." 

"Yeah, yeah hotshot. I am actually calling to let you know, I have finally got the results on that sample you sent." This has me sitting upright. "Well, what is it?!" I ask in anticipation. 

"It's a highly illegal drug called Amolite. Where the hell did you find this stuff?" I knew it! "I'll tell you everything later. Thanks so much for this, Dolls." He accepts my words without protest and we end the call. 

So Bobo was smuggling drugs. But the question remains why? How does that play a role in the strange behavior of the women at The Trailer Park? And where does Eve fit in, who is she? I remember Waverly's reaction to the photograph. She seems to know something. I need to ask her about this, after I finally get her to listen to me. 

These thoughts occupy my mind as I make my way home. Tomorrow I will look into this drug and find some more answers. Sorry Nedley, I am a reporter. I don't know the words "day off".


	10. Chapter 10

At 6h15am on Thursday my alarm goes off. I get up immediately as I always do, then realise I am on leave. With a sigh I climb back under the covers. My conversation with Dolls comes back to me. 

The sample Waverly and I found was Amolite, a highly illegal drug. I reach for my phone on the bedside table, typing in Amolite into the browser. Scanning through some unrelated links, I finally find something. Amolite – better known as the Devil’s Breath. Derived from the “borrachero” shrub’s flower, commonly found in Colombia. Known side effects include hallucinations, frightening images, and a lack of free will. Can also result in amnesia, leaving victims unable to recall events or identify perpetrators.

I frown at my phone screen. It can cause lack of free will? How is that even possible? Then I think about the behaviour of the girls at The Trailer Park. They were all so stoic, only appearing to follow orders from Bobo. Could Bobo really have been drugging them with Amolite? And for what purpose? Was he somehow using them as dealers/drug traffickers or something? My gut tells me I could be right, but I have no proof. Unless I could get some sort of testimony. Only way to achieve this is to pay The Trailer Park another visit, perhaps I could get one of the girls to talk.

Checking the time on my phone again, I sigh in frustration. It's 6h30am now. The Trailer Park only opens at 12pm. What am I suppose to do till then? I look at the mountain of clothes on the floor and remember my pile of dishes. With me always working, I don’t get much time for cleaning. Might as well use the opportunity I have now. With a huff I get out off bed and start on my chores.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Time passes painfully slowly. I managed to fold all my clothes, do my laundry, clean all the dishes and do a whole spring clean of my apartment in a mere three hours. To try and kill the time some more, I put on Orange is the New Black. After three episodes it's finally 11h30am. I turn off the TV and take a quick shower. Stake out time again, baby!

I park in the same inconspicuous spot near the Trailer Park. I look over at my passenger seat mournfully, missing having a partner. Missing Waverly. Then my phone rings. I frown at seeing Jeremy’s name appear on the caller ID. Why would he be calling me? I don’t remember needing any new photos for an article. 

I answer and am immediately greeted enthusiastically by the photographer. He sounds almost too enthusiastic. “Hey, Nicole! Uh, lovely day today isn’t it?” Baffled, I reply with “Uh, hi Jeremy. It is a good day, I guess. But what’s up? Why are you calling me?” I hear a mumbled voice in the background, seemingly telling Jeremy something. It sounds distinctly feminine. 

Finally Jeremy speaks again “Uh we…” I hear him yelp on the other side. What the heck? Then he continues “Uh I mean, I would just like to know how you are doing. Saw you weren’t at work today.” What, why would it matter to Jeremy if I’m not at work…then it hits me. 

“Jeremy, did Waverly ask you to check on me?” My heart blooms with happiness again. She still might care about me, perhaps all hope is not lost! “Uh no!” Jeremy says way too quickly. I don’t buy it. 

Smiling into my phone I respond “Well, either way I’d just like you to let her know that I am perfectly fine, just taking a few days off. Thanks for caring about me.” I really hope Waverly is listening in. “We...uh…I am very glad to hear that. Thanks for letting me know. Have an awesome day, Nicole!” Jeremy cheerfully greets me and I finish the call with a warm “I will try my best, thanks Jeremy. You have a great day too.”

I am still smiling like an idiot, thinking about Waverly, when I spot some movement from the back door of The Trailer Park. One of the girls seem to have come outside for a smoke break. I spot the sleeve tattoos and immediately recognize the bartender from the first time I was here. 

I get out of my car quickly and head over the street. I slow my pace when nearing the girl, not wanting to scare her off. My foot hits a can and she looks up at me like a deer in headlights, immediately going to dart back into the building. I run after her as quick as I can and grab her wrist gently. “Wait, please. I Just want to ask you something.” She looks around us in a panic, seeming to search for any onlookers. “There is no one else here, just me.” I tell her reassuringly.

She finally looks at me then. “You are that reporter. I can’t be seen talking to you. He...he would kill me.” There is a fear in her eyes that has me both extremely angry and sympathetic at the same time. I have to get that bastard. 

“Look, I know about the drug smuggling that Bobo is involved in.” Her eyes widen at this. Has no one ever made any effort to get behind Bobo’s criminalities and help these girls? Just another reason I had to get him. 

“I know what the drugs do to people. I have seen the way you and the other girls act. I have a feeling that Bobo is using those drugs on you, but I have no proof. I want to get Bobo locked away for good, but I need your help.” A light starts to grow in her eyes at my words. Almost like hope. She checks to see if there is anyone else near us again before she speaks. 

“You are right. He does use the drugs on us…but I can’t talk. Not here. If someone found out I was talking to the press…if he knew...” She says timidly, looking over her shoulder again nervously. I nod. “Okay I understand. Would you be willing to do an interview with me, tomorrow night at Shorty’s? You will be safe there, I promise.”

She looks very hesitant, but my encouraging smile seems to win her over. She nods slowly. “I am on the day shift tomorrow as well, so I can meet you at there at 8pm.” I nod at her and smile once more. “Thank you. We will get him, I promise.” I say trying to reassure her as best I can. She nods, giving me the smallest of smiles in return, then she flits off back into the building. 

I head back in the direction of my car. When I round the corner, I stop dead in my tracks. Bobo del Rey is leaning against the side of my car, smoking a cigar. I set my jaw and walk towards him, not allowing any fear to show. Upon nearing him, he smiles that smile that makes my skin want to crawl right off my bones. “Well well well, little mouse. You come to have another interview, have you?” He says with a sneer as he takes a drag from his cigar.

“Its none of your business what I do, Mr Del Rey. It’s a free country.” I tell him, trying to look unperturbed. I wasn’t going to let this coat wearing maniac intimidate me. 

Upon my words he releases a puff a cigar smoke right into my face, causing me to cough slightly. When I look up at him again, the blood seems to freeze inside my veins. His smile is gone and he wears a very dark look, like a wolf about to go for the throat of its helpless prey. “Careful, little mouse. Nosey rodents get themselves killed.” He says with an edge in his voice that has my Spidey senses telling me to get the hell out of dodge. 

I look him in the eyes determinedly, despite my heart beating rapidly in my chest. “Thanks for the lesson, David Attenborough in an ironic fur coat.” I retort bravely. Bobo just stares at me with that dark look, gauging me. Then he nods and walks back to The Trailer Park. What the hell? I really need to get this creep, I think with determination as I get back in my car and head back home.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

On Friday morning I decide to get some exercise in, so I head to the gym. After two hours of running on the treadmill, swimming a few laps and a boxing session, I finally hit the showers. 

When I exit the gym, it is lunch time. I decide to head to the grocery store to get some lunch. I wander around the aisles, deciding what I want, when I spot the most perfect legs I had ever seen. I stare at them for a solid 5 minutes before realising they belong to none other than Waverly Earp. 

The owner of perfect legs is currently looking at some baby carrots. I realise again how much I missed her this week, so I decide to be brave and head over. “We gingers do not like when people eat our children.” I say with mock seriousness, startling Waverly. 

She looks up in surprise and immediately relaxes upon seeing me, a smile starts to form on her face. But then, as if she remembers something, the smile drops again. It breaks my heart. “Oh, hey Nicole, its...nice to see you again. Everyone at the office misses you.” She says softly. The way she says everyone so pointedly has me thinking she might mean just her. One can hope! 

“Oh, its nice to hear that they are missing me.” I suddenly become bold. “Did you miss me too?” She looks down at my question, as if not wishing for me to see her expression. “Uhm, listen Nicole, I have a lot to do, so I kind of need to go now. It was nice seeing you.” To my dismay she doesn’t even give me a chance to say goodbye as she starts walking away.

Realising this may be my only chance, I run after her. “I’m not married!” I shout like an idiot, causing everyone around us to look at me. I ignore them, focusing only on Waverly. 

Her movements had slowed at my words, which encourages me to continue. “Shae and I were married a long time ago, in Vegas. It was a mistake and we haven’t really been together for more than a year now.” These words finally get the angelic brunette to stop. 

“She came to talk to me about our divorce-hearing on Monday. You just heard her out of context.” I finally get the words out that I have been trying to tell her all week. 

The keeper of my heart finally turns back to look at me. She searches my face. Seeming to find what she was looking for, she finally smiles at me and looks down. “You are not married?” she says timidly, moving her hair behind her ear in that adorable nervous gesture of hers that I love. My Waverly was back. I walk closer to her, lifting her chin gently so I can look into her gorgeous hazel eyes. “No, Waves. I am not married.” The joy in her eyes electrifies the beats of my heart. “Okay.” She just says with a nod. 

“Okay? Does this mean we can be…partners again?” I ask with hope. She smiles at me again, all crinkles of moons and magic. “Of course.” These two words alone make me feel more happiness in a few seconds than I have in this whole shitstorm of a week. The power this woman has, if only she knew.

Not wishing to separate from her after we just reconciled our partnership, I look at her groceries. “Would you like some help with that?” I ask her. She looks back at her groceries. In truth, she could easily carry everything by herself. “Oh, yeah, that would be great, actually. If…it's not too much trouble?” she says shyly.

“Nothing regarding you is ever any trouble.” I tell her warmly, honestly. She gives me that look again, the one that has my insides feeling like mash potatoes. We head over to the till and after she pays, I help her with the bags.

My one hand is free, until I feel gentle fingers clasp mine. Our entwined hands and Waverly’s smile make me feel like anything is possible. Thoughts of Bobo slip from my mind completely as we walk to Waverly’s Jeep. Neither of us notice the black van following behind us or the sinister eyes following our every move.


	11. Chapter 11

It’s 07h45pm on Friday night and I find myself once again looking up at the Shorty’s sign. It was almost time for my interview with the bartender. I was ready for it. Truth be told, after rekindling my…friendship? partnership? something?...with Waverly earlier today, I feel like I am ready for anything.

After I had helped Waverly with her groceries, we had to go our separate ways again. She had an interview she had to prepare for. I told her about my meeting at Shorty’s and to my absolute ecstasy, she agreed to meet me for a drink after. It was really tough having to let her get into her car and just drive away from me again, right after we had just reconciled. But the hope flowing in my veins once more would keep me sane until I saw her again.

This hope has me feeling bold. I was going to do it tonight. I was going to tell Waverly Earp how I felt. Even if she rejected me, at least I would have had the chance to let her know I thought the world of her and always would.

With these thoughts on my mind, I enter the bar. I spot Rosita serving drinks again, she looks up and waves at me in greeting. I return it with a wave of my own and then spot Doc leaning against the bar. He tips his hat toward me and I nod in acknowledgement.

My eyes roam over the rest of the establishment, but I see no sign of the bartender from The Trailer Park. I decide to get comfortable so long and head over to a booth right at the back, figuring she would want some privacy for our interview. 

I wait and wait and wait, but still see no sign of her. I even ordered a beer from Rosita so long. I check my watch. Its 08h13pm. Looks like she is a no show. I sigh and am about to get up to leave when I finally spot a newcomer entering Shorty’s.

The figure wears a hoody, I can spot dark hair tendrils peaking out from the hood. The person looks around and finally turns in my direction. I spot the nose ring and know it’s her. I nod in her direction and she slowly makes her way over, constantly looking over her shoulder.

“Hey, glad you made it. I was beginning to think I was going to have to interview myself.” I say in an attempt to break the nervous tension. It doesn’t work.

“Uh yeah, can we please just get on with this.” She says, looking over her shoulder again. Knowing that I needed to calm her somehow, I reach over and take her hand. She freezes at my action. I muster the sincerest expression I can and tell her “Listen. You are completely safe here, okay? Besides, I also have a inside man in the police department. His name is Officer Xavier Dolls. I can call him in seconds.”

She looks at me skeptically, but does seem to relax ever so slightly. “Yeah, I don’t think that cops would be able to save me if…he…found out I was talking to you. But…I need to do this. I need hope.” She says, her voice starting to tremble at the end. It both breaks my heart and fuels my ire towards Bobo.

Realizing I don’t know her name, I ask “What’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking?” She seems hesitant to provide me with her identity, but the genuineness in my eyes wins her over. “My name is Stephanie. But you can call me Steph. Just…please don’t use my name in any articles. He can’t know it was me.” There is real fear in her eyes as she says this.

“Thank you, Steph. I am serious about helping you. I want to take that bastard down and will do everything in my power to help make that happen, I promise.” I tell her honestly, as I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. To my relief, the fear in her eyes seems to dull at my words. She nods and says “Okay.”

I grab my notepad and pen from my bag, placing them on the table in front of me and sit up straight. “Alright, can you tell me what you know about Bobo?”

She takes a deep breath before she speaks. “I am going to tell you everything I know, but I’ll start with how I got caught up in all this.” I nod and write a heading on my notepad. Then she starts with her story.

“A few months ago, I was unemployed. I had no food, rent and a lot of other bills were due…it was rough. I desperately needed a job. On my way home one night after job hunting without success, I spotted an advertisement on a streetlamp. _Girls wanted immediately at The Trailer Park, contact B. Del Rey._ Having nothing to lose, I decided I might as well give it a shot. So, I saved the number and decided to call the next day.” I write down notes and wait for her to continue. Hearing only silenced for a few seconds, I look up with a frown. Then I notice Rosita nearing the table.

“You ladies still good? Would you like another drink?” She asks me. I smile and politely decline. Rosita then turns to Steph and starts asking her the same question, but then a spark of recognition takes over her features. A small smile appears on her face as she nods towards Steph. “Finally. I’m glad you are doing this. Someone needs to put a stop to him.” Steph looks up at her with determination, nodding. Then Rosita heads back to tend to the other patrons.

“You guys know each other from The Trailer Park, huh?” I ask Steph. She nods. “Yeah, she is one of the newbies. Lucked out though, at having been hired via a recruitment agency and not having to deal with…him…like the rest of us. She is really nice though.”

I nod in agreement; Rosita has been really kind and is always willing to help with the investigation. “She is really rooting for you, and she has also been giving me some really useful tips in the investigation.” Steph gives a small smile at that. I continue the interview then. “You ready to tell me what you just meant by you having to deal with Bobo?”

She nods and continues with her story. “I called the number, which directed me to Bobo. He was very friendly, full of promises of a good job and lots of benefits. I ate it up like the desperate idiot I was.” She says with a shake of her head, looking very disappointed at herself.

“Hey, stop that. You were in a difficult situation. You did what you had to survive, anyone in your shoes would have done the same.” I tell her in an attempt to sooth. She smiles sadly at me and shakes her head.

“Nope, I am 100% sure you would not have fallen into his trap. You are too smart and beautiful. Way to perfect to be as stupid as I was.” I blush at her words and the panic on my face must show because she smiles at me, with mirth in her eyes. “Relax, I’m merely complimenting you to be nice. I knew from my first attempt at flirting with you the other day, that your heart is already set on someone else. She better be worth it.”

I look up and tell her seriously “She is.”

“Good.” She says with a smile. I start to fidget with my notepad then to get her attention back on the interview. Luckily, she picks up on my attempt to change the subject.

“All right let’s get back to my story. So, I went to meet with Bobo for the interview the next day. It started like any other interview, he asked me some questions about myself and about my job experience. But that’s where the normalcy ended. Two men in black suits entered the room then, to my utter confusion. Before I could ask what was happening, they placed a gag in my mouth and a bag over my head…I felt a prick on my arm and remember feeling them carry me out a door and into a vehicle. I think it was some sort of van.” Her voice starts to shake again, and I reach over for her hand once more.

She calms at my touch and takes a deep breath. I look into her eyes, trying my best to reassure her with the kindness and warmth in my eyes. It seems to work; she calms down again and continues.

“When I woke up again, I found myself tied to a chair in a warehouse. I had absolutely no idea where I was. I just remember there being a lot of crates, all with this paw symbol on them. Kind of like…dog prints?” At this I look up, intrigued.

“Could they have been wolf prints maybe?” She frowns at my question but nods anyway. “Yeah, sure I guess. Why do you ask?”

“Let’s just say I have found out that Bobo seems to have a wolf fetish.” She makes a gagging motion at my words. “Is there anything else about the warehouse that you can remember?” I ask.

She appears to think for a moment. “Uhm…seagulls. I remember hearing a lot of seagulls outside.” Seagulls? The warehouse must have been near a dock or harbour of some sort. I make a note to check for any offshore warehouses nearby. I nod in acknowledgement and she continues again.

“I remember sitting there for what felt like hours when finally, Bobo came through the doors. Him and a posse of goons behind him. I will never forget his words. He said _Welcome little rabbit. You are mine now._ He then showed me a video on his phone. It was of me…stabbing and…murdering someone.” Her voice trembles as she says this. My eyes widen at her words. I didn’t see that coming, but I know there is more to it. “Was it really you?” I ask.

She looks down in shame. “It was unmistakably me in the video. Anyone would be able to recognize me. Worst of all, I don’t remember doing it, any of it. It’s like that part of my memory is just completely missing.” Tears start to roll as she continues telling her story, my heart burns for her. I had to help her.

“I remember the look he gave me, one of complete triumph. Like a spider who had caught its prey in an inescapable trap. He told me that I was to do everything he asks and tell no one about it, or he would send the video to the cops and everyone who knows me. He had me, and he knew it.” The tears start to roll freely then, so I decide to give her a break from speaking.

“I think whatever they injected you with may have caused you to stab that person. We managed to obtain a sample of Amolite from one of his shipments. Amolite is a drug that makes people lose control of their free will and causes amnesia.” I inform her, remembering my research.

She wipes some of the tears away. “I think you are right. It’s the only explanation. I cannot remember anything after the van. It had to be whatever they injected me with. After his speech to me at the warehouse, they gagged and blindfolded me again and I felt another prick on my arm. Next thing I know, I wake up in my apartment with a major headache and a message next to me on my pillow that read _Remember little rabbit, you are mine now. I have proof of you committing murder_. From that day on I worked at The Trailer Park, doing everything Bobo asked…I have had to do a lot of bad things…and some of it involved slipping drugs to customers or delivering packages which I think may have also been drugs…I think I am helping him spread it…”

A new wave of tears starts streaming down her face. I couldn’t take it seeing her pain, so I get up and give her a hug, just holding her to provide comfort as best I can. “We will get him and put a stop to this, I promise Steph.”

She finally calms down and I am about to end the interview and ask her to join me and Waverly for a drink later, when the doors to Shorty’s suddenly burst open. A frazzled Wynonna thunders into the building, rushing over to Doc. I then hear her say three words that make my heart seize. “Waverly is missing!”


	12. Chapter 12

Missing. Waverly is missing. Over and over these words run through my mind. It feels like I cannot breathe, everything slows down to nothing. This cannot be happening. I was gonna… 

"Hey!" Stephanie's voice breaks me from my stasis. I look up at her with wide, unfocused eyes. "I lost you there for a few seconds, is everything okay?" She asks with a frown. I shake my head at her. "Sorry, I need to go." I jump up so quick that the table shakes, and then I bolt towards Wynonna. I noticed her very dishevelled appearance. It is very unnerving to see her sober while this disheveled, but I can completely understand why. Her words has my insides feeling like her appearance. 

My rapid footfalls pull the brunette's attention from Doc toward me. "Haught!" She grabs me by my jacket. "Haught, please tell me you know where Waverly is." Her voice starts to tremble from worry and it terrifies me. Wynonna Earp never shows this much emotion. This was serious. 

"No, Wynonna. I saw her last this afternoon at the grocery store. Why do you think she is…missing?" Just saying the words makes my stomach clench painfully. I feel like throwing up. She can't be missing. She has to be safe. I was going to tell her how I felt and she might have potentially felt the same and it would have been everything that I had ever wished for in my life. She just had to be okay. 

Wynonna's frown lines deepen at my words. "Waverly didn't come home after work. She always comes home straight from work. The times that she does go somewhere else first, she always calls or messages me to let me know. It's been 4 hours without word. I know my sister, something is wrong." She starts to shake uncontrollably. Doc moves his arm across her shoulders in an attempt to comfort. It seems to steady her.

No one is there to steady me, and I feel like I'm very close to falling apart. But I need to keep my mind clear right now. I wasn’t going to be able to find her if my mind is clouded like this. So I shake my head and clench my jaw in determination. Think Haught. You are a damn reporter. Okay. "Last time I saw her, she was driving off in her Jeep, back towards the office. She said she had to prepare for an interview." I tell them. Then a thought occurs to me. I take out my phone and immediately dial a familiar number as Doc and Wynonna watches on in anticipation. 

Finally, Jeremy answers. "Nicole? Hey. Is Waverly with you again? I figured she must be, because she hasn't been back at the office since lunchtime." My blood runs cold. She never made it to the office...I struggle to control my breathing. "Hey Jeremy, no… she is not with me...I was calling to confirm is she made it back to the office after she left the grocery store. Seems she hasn't." At my words Jeremy's voice becomes panicked. "What? But then where did she go? Nicole, what's going on? Is Waves okay?" 

I let out a slow breath before I answer him. "We don't know, Jer. But I'm going to find her. I might need your help. Will keep you posted." Jeremy tells me he will do anything I ask, unable to keep the worry for his best friend from his voice. I thank him and end the call, turning back to Wynonna and Doc. Wynonna already knows what I am going to say. "She didn't make it back to the office." I nod with another jaw clench. Her next words take me by surprise. "What do we do, Haught? You two were close. She told me how great a reporter you are. So, help me find her." Her eyes hold so much trust as she says this. The Earps sure have a lot of faith in me. I couldn’t let them down, neither of them.

I think for a moment. Then I get an idea. "I know someone who might be able to help." I say as I turn on my heel and walk rapidly to the exit. I don’t make it very far before I feel an iron grip take hold of my wrist. "Oh no, Haught. You are not leaving me to wonder if my sister might be dead in some ditch. I'm coming with you." The pure determination in her blue eyes stems any argument I might have had. I look at her for a brief moment, then nod. She finally lets go of my wrist. The two of us then exit Shorty's together and head in the direction of the police station. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"You sure about this?" Wynonna asks me skeptically as we stand infront of the Purgatory police station. "Yes. I know a guy." I inform her as I walk towards the entrance. 

From the reception area I head through another door that leads to an open office. I turn left and towards a desk with a nameplate that reads Officer X. Dolls. The owner of the nameplate is behind the desk, focusing really hard on his computer. The office is mostly empty. Like me, Dolls tends to work overtime a lot.

Upon hearing me approach, Dolls finally looks up from his screen. "Haught, wha…" He starts with a smile, but upon seeing my serious expression he immediately gives me his full attention. "What is it?" 

"We have a missing person's case. I know it has to be 24 hours and all that bullshit, but we are sure." 

Dolls doesn't even blink. He knows I only get this serious when my gut tells me something is off. "All right. Who is it?" Such a simple question, so many answers. The most magical human being I have ever met. My co-worker. My friend, my partner, my potential forever. My forever even if she said no.

"Waverly Earp." Wynonna says for me, getting Dolls to finally look her way. There is a moment where I can clearly see admiration in his eyes. It's only a split second though, as his expression becomes serious once more. "Your sister?" Wynonna nods. Dolls then proceeds to asks us the usual questions: where did we see her last, did she often go off on her own, was there someone else she might go to etc. 

After clarifying all this, Dolls thinks for a moment "Okay, her last known whereabouts was within the region of the grocery store on Fifth Avenue. I think the best thing would be to check the footage from the traffic and surveillance cameras on her route. You said she was heading back towards the Post, around 13h30pm?" He asks in his cop voice, to which I nod.

"Yes, I saw her turn onto Alice Street from Fifth Avenue before I lost sight of her. Dolls nods and types something on his computer. Then he opens what appears to be a surveillance database. 

He scrolls through a lot of files and footage. Then he finally locates the footage from the route that Waverly took. He scrolls through it until he is at the time stamp when Waverly would have been on the route back to the office.

"There! That's her Jeep!" I say on finally spotting the familiar red vehicle making a turn into the view of the camera. Wynonna also moves closer to see, and nods. "Yep, there is no mistake. It's her Jeep." 

Then we see something that has my gut on fire. A black van follows Waverly's Jeep as she turns onto Alice Avenue. "Dolls that van…" He just nods with a grunt and clicks on the file for the next camera on the route. We see Waverly's Jeep drive along, that damn van following her the whole way. Then a man suddenly appears out of nowhere in front of Waverly's jeep, causing her to hit the brakes hard. We watch as she gets out of her Jeep to go check if the man is okay. Typical Waverly kindness. If only she had stayed in her car.

The next part has the blood drain from my face. I can hear the rapid intake of breath from Wynonna next to me as we watch two black clad figures grab Waverly and pull her into the van. What the fuck?! Nope. This was not happening. They are not getting away with this. How dare they do this to her! I was ready to kill and the clench of jaw and fist from the woman beside me indicates she would definitely be my accomplice in the act. Dolls must feel the tension radiating from us. "Hey, calm down ladies. I know this looks bad. But this is a lead." 

"Bad?! Dolls, Waverly needs to be safe! We have to find her!” I fume, then released a breath I didn’t realise I was holding. “She is…everything." I can hear the crack in my voice at the raw emotion of my words, but I really don't give a shit who hears my confession. Getting Waverly back safely is the only thing that matters now. 

I feel Wynonna place her hand on my shoulder. "Haught is damn right. That's my sister, and nothing is going to stop me from getting her back. Not even the law." She says so determinedly that Dolls doesn't even attempt to argue.

Something draws my attention back to the video footage, which is frozen on a particular frame. It shows the van drive off (it has no plates) as the man that Waverly had stopped for watches on. I notice three things then. On the left backend of the van there is a print. An unmistakable paw print, like what Stephanie had described from the warehouse. The second thing I notice is that the man watching the van drive off is wearing a smile. The third thing I notice is that the smile belongs to the face of Tucker Gardner.


	13. Chapter 13

"That bastard!" I exclaim, making my two companions both look up at me in concern. "Haught, what is it?" Wynonna asks as she moves closer to follow my line of sight. Upon seeing the man's face on the screen, her eyebrows furrow. "Is that…?"

"Tucker Gardner." Dolls finishes for her. 

"I am gonna kill him!" I say at the same time that Wynonna says "I'll rip his throat out!" A clearly disturbed Dolls starts with "Ladies calm…" but our icy glares make him shut up immediately.

"I knew he was bad news from my first interaction with that cockroach." I say as I start to pace around the room, fuming. 

"Don't go insulting cockroaches as a species now." Wynonna says beside me. I nod in complete agreement. Tucker Gardner is the worst kind of scum. 

I stop pacing for a second and turn back to Dolls. "Did you find anything after I asked you to check him out for me?" 

Dolls sighs. "I had a look Haught, but he is clean. His father has some friends in the police department, so it's very likely that there was some dirt on him that got covered up pretty good and any evidence would have been destroyed. We have had complaints about him before and it never leads to prosecution."

"Let me guess, those complaints were mostly by women and involved harassment? " I say with great irritation at the situation. Dolls just nods with a grim expression.

I run my hands through my hair in frustration. Arrrg! How is this happening? The woman I have fallen deeply in love with has been kidnapped and the asshole who had a hand in it just gets to walk away? To hell with that! I bang my hand against a nearby desk to emphasize my thoughts. 

"Nicole, I know you really want to go and confront Tucker about this and potentially commit homicide, but trust me when I say it's a bad idea and it will come to nothing." Dolls tells me in his calm voice. 

Wynonna turns around so fast that I can hear her long brown hair swoosh in the wind. "Listen here buddy. If that asshole has something to do with my sister's kidnapping, nothing is going to stop me from going to kick his ass right now. And that is the PG 13 description of what I am going to do to him." I nod in agreement at her words.

Dolls sighs at us again. He probably did not expect to be spending his evening trying to keep two very pissed off women from committing murder. "Look, I understand where you are coming from. It seems he may be involved in Waverly's kidnapping somehow. But unless you have undeniable proof, confronting him will be of no use. It may just alert Waverly's kidnappers, potentially putting her in even more danger." He was right. Damn his clear mindedness. 

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do, Dolls? Just sit here and wait till they find her body?" I tell him, my tone of voice switching from frustration to anguish at the end. The thought of Waverly being gone… it feels like a part of me wants to die. She can't be. She just can't! My shoulders slump and I feel the prick of tears behind my eyes.

Dolls picks up on my emotion. "I suggest that we take a moment and think of a better approach to this. Why don't you sit down?" He says in a soothing tone and gestures to the two seats across from him. Wynonna and I each grab one, moving it to his desk and we both reluctantly take a seat. 

"All right. Now is there anything that might help us? Any other information that might be a lead to where they could have taken Waverly?" He asks.

I remember the prints on the van and my interview with Stephanie. "That print on the back of the van…" I gesture to the image still frozen on the screen. "I think it's Bobo Del Rey's signature or something. At my words Wynonna and Dolls both frown at me. The brunette speaks first. "Bobo? Haught, I thought you said it was Tucker?" 

"I interviewed one of the girls who works for Bobo tonight. It's a long story, but she told me about how Bobo drugs any new girls that he interviews at The Trailer Park and then they end up in this warehouse. She was one of them and she remembers seeing crates in the warehouse, all with a paw print symbol on it. I'd bet good money that it's the exact same print as that one on the van."

Dolls looks at me thoughtfully for a long moment. "What is your gut telling you?" He asks me with a serious look. I love that he knows me so well. 

"It's telling me that Bobo Del Rey is behind this and Tucker is his accomplice somehow. Why, I don’t know yet." I frown, rubbing my hand over my face. "There are so many things about Bobo I don't know yet. The only other lead I had was this Eve woman, who I haven't had the time to find any further info on. I just know she is important to Bobo somehow." At my words Wynonna sits upright. 

"Did you just say Eve?" I look over at her in surprise and nod slowly. Why would she ask about Eve? She removes a photograph from her leather jacket. It's the one I took of Eve on my first stakeout, the one I gave to Waverly. Why the hell does Wynonna have it? 

"This Eve?" Wynonna asks and I nod again with a frown. "Yes…that's her. But why do you have That photograph? I gave it to Waverly." I say, remembering how Waverly had reacted and rushed off after I gave her the photo.

"She came running to me a couple of days ago with this photo, claiming it to be Willa." My eyes widen at this. What? Willa?! Could that be possible?"Could it be?" I ask looking at Wynonna questioningly. She releases a slow breath before answering. "My initial reaction was to deny it. I have had situations in the past where I had thought that I saw Willa, and it turned out really bad for me. There was this one incident when I was 15 where I was sure I had seen her wondering outside Joseph Svane’s house. They didn’t find her when inspecting the property. But I was so sure of what I saw that I argued and fought with everything in me to get them to believe me. I fought so hard that people thought I went crazy.” Her expression becomes somber then. “They even sent me to a mental institution for a month after that. I…didn’t want Waverly to know, so I wrote her a note pretending I was running away.” She says softly and my heart aches for her. 

Wynonna really is a good person. She just wanted to protect her sisters, bring one home safely and keep the other one safe from the ugly reality of the world. I place my hand on her shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry, Wynonna. Sometimes we keep things from people to keep them from getting hurt. I get it.”

She looks up at me with surprise and it really irks me to think that no one has ever given the Earp sisters any reason to believe that they are worthy of being believed, of being loved, of being respected. I clench my jaw and make the decision. I’m going to change that, by telling them how awesome and worthy they are every chance I get.

My mind then backtracks to something she said. “You said you thought you had seen Willa at Joseph Svane’s house?” She nods. “When I interviewed Bobo the other day, he said he came to live with his uncle, Joseph, after his mother died. He also mentioned his real name is Robert Svane.” Next to me Wynonna jumps up. 

“As in Joseph Svane! Oh my god. I was right!” She exclaims in triumph, but then she realises something. ”That means Waverly was right too…” She lifts the photograph. “This really is Willa. Waves told me and I…made her feel like I didn’t believe in her.” She slumps back down into her seat, looking devastated. 

I grab her hand and give it a squeeze. “No Wynonna, stop that. Waverly thinks the world of you, she knows that you love her and only want the best for her. She told me so herself.” I inform the dismayed Earp, who looks at me gratefully. “Thanks, Haught.”

I just give her a small smile. Her eyes move back to the picture. “She has been spending every night going into full research mode on this damn photo. Some nights she’d go out to hell knows where.” 

Dolls finally speaks after just silently witnessing and listening to our interaction. “Can you think of any place she might have gone on those nights? This could help us determine where she is or why they took her.”

Wynonna appears to think for a moment. “The only thing I know is, on the nights when I was still awake upon her return from her escapades, I remember the thick smell of ocean from her hair. So maybe she went to the beach or…” 

“The docks?” I complete the sentence. She nods at me “Yeah, could be.” I get up and start to pace again. “We saw a woman driving the boat that delivered one of Bobo’s drug shipments. I am pretty sure it was Eve…or Willa. Waverly saw her too. I think she might have been going down to the docks to see if Willa would arrive again somehow. It’s the only lead we had on her whereabouts.”

Dolls nods. “You might be right. Perhaps someone tipped Bobo off about Waverly sniffing around the docks. That may be why he had her kidnapped.”

“Damn it! If only I had listened to her. Maybe gone with her…” I felt the exact same way as Wynonna. Why hadn’t I been bolder in confronting her about the Shae thing? We would have been reconciled sooner and… Dolls pulls us from our self-loathing thoughts.

“Ladies it’s not going help thinking about what if right now. Haught, you mentioned something about a warehouse that Bobo takes girls to. I think there is a good chance that he also took Waverly there. Did the girl tell you anything else that could help us locate it?” 

I remember what she said about the seagulls. “She mentioned there being a lot of seagulls. I think it may be some kind of offshore warehouse. Do you perhaps know of any nearby?” 

Dolls types something on his computer, bringing up a map of Purgatory. Then he zooms in to the docks and bay area. “Mmm. The only one I know of is a facility 30 miles east of the Purgatory harbour. It was used as a fish storage warehouse in the 70’s, for when ships couldn’t make it to the harbour due to bad weather and needed a place to store their fish to keep it fresh until they could finally dock. With all the modern freezing technology that has been developed for ships in recent times, they no longer needed to use the warehouse and it became abandoned.”

I get up and make my way to the door, a startled Wynonna and Dolls looking up at my sudden departure. “Haught where are you going?” Dolls calls after me. 

“I am going to that warehouse. I am going to get Waverly.” I tell him determinedly. Wynonna jumps up to follow suit. “Don’t you leave me out of this, Haught.” She tells me with a no bullshit look, to which I nod. 

Dolls tries to stop us again. “Nicole, can you please just wait a few hours? It’s only a couple of hours till morning, then my shift will be over and I can get some of the other officers to help you in the search.”

I look at him with determination, but my eyes soften. “I know you want to help us Dolls. And you already have, a lot. I can’t thank you enough. But I can’t just sit here and wait. I need to find Waverly.” Next to me Wynonna nods “Ditto.”

Dolls sighs in resignation. “You don’t even have a boat.” 

I give him a small smile. “Nope, but Nedley is always yammering on about his weekend fishing trips.”

With that, Wynonna and I exit the police station on our mission to save the woman who we would sacrifice everything for. We are coming, Waves.


	14. Chapter 14

Its 11h45pm on a Friday night. It's really late. Usually I'd either still be at the office now or on the couch, Netflix and chilling on my own. But now I find myself at the Purgatory Harbour, pure adrenaline keeping my body awake. My need to bring Waverly back to safety outweighing anything else. 

"You guys ready for this?" I ask my two companions. Next to me Wynonna and Jeremy both nod determinedly. “Hell yes.” and “As ready as The Rock would be.” are their respective responses.

After leaving the police station, Wynonna and I went straight to Nedley's house. Needless to say, my boss was not very impressed with me for keeping him from his Pretty Little Liars marathon. But as soon as I said the words "Waverly has been kidnapped" he practically threw his boat's keys at me, with a gruff "Go get her back, Haught." Followed by "And remember, a good reporter always gets proof." 

Figuring having a photographer along could be really beneficial in getting proof, I called Jeremy. He agreed without hesitation and said he would bring his highest resolution camera. 

And thus, we presently find ourselves infront of Nedley's Mini Xtaski, Chrissy emblazoned proudly on the side. It’s not a very big or glamorous boat, but it will do. 

I am the first to climb aboard, followed by Wynonna. "Do you even know how to drive this thing?" she asks me skeptically, to which give a small smile. "Yep. My dad taught me when he and I used to go on fishing trips when I was a kid. Before… before he got sick." I say with a hint of somberness at the end. 

I really miss my dad. He taught me how to be brave and love unconditionally. I fondly remember how much he used to love the original Superman films, always getting me to watch them with him. He liked the idea of having superpowers. Ironically he was my hero. But I did love those movies, specifically Lois Lane. Pretty sure she was my first crush, and the reason I became a reporter. 

Wynonna places her hand on my shoulder awkwardly in an attempt at comfort, clearly not use to doing this. "I'm sorry, Haught. That's must have sucked." She says softly. I just shake my head and give her a small smile. "Don't sweat it, it was a really long time ago." 

Over her shoulder I make out Jeremy tentatively getting onto the boat, looking very uncertain. “You okay there, Jer?” I ask him. He looks up, his face a pale shade. “Boats and I don’t really go well together.” He explains, looking a bit sheepish. He knew we were going on a boat and agreed to do it anyway. He truly would do anything for Waverly, and I am so grateful that they are friends.

Wynonna, ever the sympathetic soul, walks over and pats him on the back. “Chin up there, bud. We have a Waverly to rescue.” The look of determination returns to the photographer’s face as he nods. With that, I turn the key in the ignition and off we were on our rescue mission, none of us sure of what lay ahead. What we were sure about, however, was that no one and nothing was going to stop us from getting Waverly back to safety.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

We are about 10 miles in before Jeremy gives up on trying to control his retching. He hangs his head over the side of the boat, and starts throwing up non-stop like he was cursed by some witch. I turn back, looking at him in concern. Next to me Wynonna scrunches up her nose. “Gross, dude.” I roll my eyes at her.

“Wynonna will you take the wheel for a moment, please.” She does as I ask with an “Aye aye, Captain Haught Sauce.” I ignore her and move towards where Jeremy is crouched with his head over the side of the boat. “I’m sorry Jeremy, I didn’t know you were prone to sea sickness. If I’d known, I would never have asked you to do this.” 

He stops retching for a second, wipes his mouth and looks at me. “I am fine, Nicole. Just get us to her, okay?” The pure fire in his eyes leaves no room for argument, so I nod. I wasn’t going to let him or Waves down. Even if it meant that I would have to die trying. 

My thoughts are interrupted by another wretch from Jeremy. I look at him with concern again, but he just gives me a sheepish smile and waves me away. 

I reluctantly return to the wheel, where Wynonna seems to really be enjoying her task. She has even started singing a sea shanty. “Look at me, I am the captain now!” She tells me, adding an obnoxious “Arrr!” at the end for good measure. Despite the dire situation, I cannot help but let out a laugh at her antics. 

She smiles back at me, softening. “Nicole, do you think she is okay?” She asks, all jokes aside and unable to hide the fear in her voice. I feel that same fear, but I realize that it will not help us right now. So, I push it away and give her my most honest look. “She has to be Wynonna. This might sound stupid, but my gut is really telling me she is. And my gut is never wrong.” I expected her to laugh, and am surprised when she just looks at me seriously for a second before nodding and turning back to the wheel.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It feels like forever before we finally make out the shape the island with the warehouse looming in the distance. I tell Wynonna to start slowing down, as the boat is not very quiet. I indicate that we should move around the back of the island, see if there is perhaps another docking point where we would be able to enter the island unnoticed.

As we round the corner, I see another unoccupied pier. As we near it, I cannot make out anything besides a couple of lights shining from within the warehouse. This was it. Waverly has to be here.

I signal for everyone to be quiet as I throw the anchor into the murky water beneath us. Then I take one more look around before I jump out of the boat onto the pier. “Wait for me Haught!” Wynonna whisper shouts. Behind her, I make out Jeremy lying down with a hand on his stomach. “You gonna be ok, Jer?” I ask him gently. He lifts up a shaky thumbs up in affirmation. “Just give me ten minutes.” 

I turn back to Wynonna. “Wynonna, will you please wait here with him? I am just going to have a quick look around, then I’ll come back so we can put together a plan of action.” Not really wanting to miss out on any action, Wynonna looks at me unconvinced. She appears to be on the verge of arguing when Jeremy makes another pitiful retching sound. Unable to leave him alone like that, she gives a reluctant nod. “Allright, Haught. But be quick.”

I nod at her. “Okay, be quiet and remain out of sight.” I turn to walk away when I feel a hand grip my wrist. “Be safe.” Is all Wynonna says, to which I nod with a small smile. Then I move off into the darkness.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

I move from shadow to shadow, not seeing anything or anyone suspicious. I am about to ponder that we might not be at the right place when I finally hear some voices. I slowly move to the edge of the northern corner of the warehouse, the voices becoming louder. “The boss… that Earp…drugs soon.” Is all I can make out from the conversation. 

Looking around the corner quickly, I can make out two guards. I also spot a lonesome crate three feet from me. I crouch down and scurry over to it. “Yeah she is going to be the best one he has ever caught, I bet.” I finally make out the words more clearly, realizing they must be talking about Waverly and Bobo, I clench my jaw in anger. No way am I going to let them do anything to her. Not on my damn watch.

I then hear footsteps from behind me. Thinking it to be Wynonna I turn around to scold her for not staying in the boat, when the butt of a rifle hits me square in the face. Then everything goes black.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

“Nicole! Nicole!” I hear the angelic voice calling my name and can’t help but wish this wonderful dream will go on forever. I open my eyes and see the most beautiful being and owner of the voice in front of me. “You are so pretty and I like you so much!” I tell her with a goofy smile. So what if it’s cheesy? It’s my dream and I’ll say what I want!

The angel’s voice becomes louder, more urgent. “No, Nicole! Wake up, please!” I then realize the angel is in a chair, her hands behind her. Is she tied up? Then I feel the burn of cable ties around my own wrists. With a frown I attempt to free my hands and fail miserably. What kind of dream is this? 

Then there is another voice that immediately snaps me out of my daze. “Well well well, little mouse. I have been expecting you.” I look up into the dark eyes of Bobo Del Rey and realize this was no dream. This was an utter nightmare.


	15. Chapter 15

My head is throbbing, and I am pretty sure my nose is broken. But that is nothing in comparison to the disdain I feel for the man, no, animal in front of me. 

Bobo smiles darkly at me, triumph all over his face. I set my jaw despite the pain it induces and look him right in his malevolent eyes. "Let us go, Bobo." I am impressed with my ability to sound so calm right now. 

He lets out something which I presume is supposed to be a laugh, but it sounds like a bark. "Now now, little mouse. Don't be so hasty. The fun is merely beginning." I have no idea what he is talking about, but the shiver running up my spine tells me it is nothing good. 

I spare a glance at the reason for my sanity and catch her staring back at me. She looks determined, but I can make out the subtle anguish in her hazel eyes. I give her a small smile in an attempt to comfort despite our situation. To my relief, she returns my smile. It’s so brief that if you blinked, you would have missed it. 

"Tucker was right. You are smitten with the little kitten." Bobo says, smirking devilishly. I am glad for the darkness, so Waverly cannot see the blush caused by the truth in his words. I dare not look her way now. I shake my head and look back towards our captor. 

"What is this, slam poetry night?" I deadpan bravely. 

Bobo smiles his nightmare inducing smile and turns to Waverly. "She is funny, you should keep her." The love of my life just frowns at him, the clench of her jaw doing things to my body that should not be appropriate for our current circumstances.

"Go to hell, Bobo." My brave little toaster hisses at him. I have never been prouder. 

"What do you want with us?" I ask, drawing Bobo's attention back to me. 

"What I want, Miss Haught, is for your interference in my business to stop.” His expression goes dark. "Permanently." 

I can hear Waverly's sharp intake of breath in harmony with my rapidly beating heart at his words. Is he going to kill me? 

Knowing that panic was only going to feed his sadistic nature, I tried to remain as calm as possible. "What exactly is your business Bobo? It definitely can't be coat manufacturing, because that one you are wearing leaves much to be desired." 

I can see a spark of anger in his eyes and the subtle clench of his right fist. I touched a nerve. Seems Bobo is not a fan of coat bashers. "Oh, but you already know, don't you? Why don't you tell me what you think my business is?" 

"You deal amolite and use it to drug innocent girls. You use the amolite on them to make them commit crimes so you can manipulate them to partake in your schemes." I am unable to keep the anger and disgust from my voice. 

Bobo starts to slow clap and it just fuels my ire towards him. I clench my jaw so hard I start to taste the metallic flavour of blood. "Well done! You really are an ace reporter, aren't you? A real Lois Lane." If anyone else had said that to me under different circumstances, I might have really felt proud. But hearing them from the mouth of Bobo Del Rey just makes me feel sick. 

To my and Bobo's surprise, Waverly pipes up next to me. "She is the best, and she won't let you get away with this! " Her relentless faith in me, even now, has me baffled. I fear that in our current situation I might really fail her. 

Bobo ignores Waverly, focusing on me. "From our very first meeting for that interview, I knew you were going to be a thorn in my side. At first, I shook off the feeling. I hoped that perhaps you got the hint to stay the hell out of my business." He rubs his hand over his chin as he starts to pace. 

"But then, one of my guards mentioned that there were two intruders on the pier when they unpacked my shipment last Saturday." He stops and turns toward me again, seemingly doing so to emphasize something. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. 

"He distinctly remembers one of them was tall. He also believed that he caught a glimpse of red air in the moonlight, as the person fled with their companion. I had a hunch then, the thorn in my side started to itch. Catching you yesterday outside my establishment, clearly snooping, was the final nail in your coffin."

"Okay so you are a little mad that someone finally uncovered your unlawful activities. And now you want to kill me for it." I push down the nausea created by the end of that sentence before I continue. "I guess that makes sense. But why did you kidnap Waverly? She has nothing to do with this!" 

Bobo smirks darkly at us. "Oh, but she has everything to do with it. She was the lure with which I knew I could get you here willingly, to my island. Away from any witnesses." Waverly was bait. For me. It was an undeniable fact. Where she goes, I would always go. And Bobo somehow figured this out. Damn him. 

"What gave you the idea that I would come for her?" I ask him, genuinely curious. Was I so smitten with Waverly that it was clearly written all over my face? Could everyone see it? I honestly would not be surprised, my heart beats loudly inside my chest at the mere mention of her name. I glance her way to gauge her reaction. To my dismay, she isn't looking my way. 

"Ah, that was one of my best customer's doing. Tucker Gardner mentioned how he was practically harassed by some red headed reporter by just being a bit friendly to Miss Earp here, at the launch of Gardner Chic's new line." That damn cockroach. 

"How do you know Tucker? Is his father a client or something?" Bobo laughs again and it makes me wish my hands were free.

"Joseph Gardner is one of my biggest investors. He helps keep the business going with his funds. And in return, he gets quite the client base by distributing amolite at all of Gardner Chic's parties. And Tucker… well, that little pervert couldn’t resist the idea of a drug that makes women do what you want." I am unable to keep from retching at his words, and can hear it echoed from beside me. 

"You are enabling people like Tucker Gardner to do their evil activities, to hurt innocent women. Why, Bobo? Why do you want to be part of making the world an evil place?" 

"On the contrary. I am making the world better, by removing the limitations humans have set upon it and ourselves. The world is my playground, I make the rules now." 

I am about to protest when the doors to the warehouse fly open. A woman walks in with two guards trailing behind her. As she comes closer, I immediately recognize her. "Eve." I say at the same time that Waverly says "Willa." She walks up to Bobo and places a kiss to his cheek, making me throw up in my mouth. 

"Hello darling. Have you brought what I asked?" Bobo asks her. She nods and opens her coat (better looking than Bobo's) to remove a syringe set. She removes one and in her other hand I see a vial containing a purple liquid. It's amolite. 

I have a really bad feeling, accelerating the beat of my heart. Next to me, I can see Waverly start to fidget frantically, seemingly attempting to break free from her bindings. It is a futile exercise. 

Bobo turns back to me, that triumphant smile back on his wolfish face. "We have had a nice chat. But now I need you to tell me; do you have any last words?" 

"Leave her alone! Don't you touch her!" Waverly spews frantically from beside me. 

I set my jaw. "Kiss my ass, Bobo Del Rey." I tell him bravely, even though I can feel the sweat droplets running down my neck from the fear coursing through me. 

Bobo just smirks and signals Eve to go ahead with whatever he is planning. To my horror, she moves towards Waverly and not me. Now it is my turn to protest. 

"No, please leave her out of this. Do it to me!" I practically beg. But my pleas are ignored, and to my utter dismay I watch how Eve plunges a needle filled with amolite into Waverly's beautiful neck. 

I try my best to free my hands, writhing frantically in the chair to go and save Waverly, stop them from harming her. But of course, it is a useless attempt. Willa then moves to cut Waverly's bindings. What the hell? 

When she is done with her task, Eve returns to Bobo's side. A very satisfied smirk is plastered on his face. As soon as I am free, I make a pact to kill him with my bare hands. 

Waverly sits still for a few seconds then, to my relief, starts to stir. Bobo then does the unthinkable. He says "Waverly, be a good little kitten and kill Nicole Haught."

I scoff. He must be joking, she would never...To my shock, she gets up and walks towards me. I can see that her eyes are glassy, like it's not really her in control. Then she places her hands around my throat, and I am not sure if I should be terrified or turned on. Either way, Waverly Earp was about to kill me.


	16. Chapter 16

Nimble hands tighten around my throat. Bit by bit Waverly's drug induced grip increases its hold, reducing my ability to take in precious oxygen.

I should be absolutely terrified. Yet, I am smiling like a complete idiot. Perhaps it's due to the lack of air supply to my brain. More likely? I am about to die with the vision of Waverly in front of me. I couldn't think of a better way to go. 

But before I leave this earth, I need to follow through with my plan and tell her how I feel. 

So, with the last of my remaining breath, I muster out the words that have been playing over and over in my head since our fist stakeout together.

"Waver… Waves… wha...whatever happens…next…" Her grip tightens and I can make out Bobo's diabolical laughter in the background. 

"I need…you to...know that…" It's so tight now that it takes everything in me to say the final and most important part of my sentence. 

"I have…never loved… anyone the… way that…" Waverly's image starts to blur and is replaced with black spots in my vision, but I push on. With the last ounce of breath and strength in my body, I finally say them. "I love… you." With that, I subdue to my fate and welcome death's embrace. 

To my surprise, it seems to reject me. The grip around my throat loosens and slowly Waverly's image in my vision returns. Perhaps I already made it to heaven, seeing that I can see an angel in front of me. 

I look into Waverly's eyes and see they are no longer glassy, but the most beautiful shade of hazel. An expression of awe is directed towards me. I must really have reached Nirvana to be exposed to this level of perfection. 

I am still admiring the gentle gaze upon mine when I hear the click of a gun and finally realize that I am indeed not dead. 

"Tut tut, little kitten. Complete your job. That’s an order!” Bobo's dark voice grinds on my nerves, even in my half dead state.

I look up at Waverly, smiling encouragingly. "It's okay, Waves." She looks down at her hands, apparently realizing what she had just almost done. Horror and sorrow blend across her beautiful face, greatly ailing me. All I want to do in that moment is get up and hold her tight, protect her from everything bad in the world. Much like Wynonna. 

I am ripped from my thoughts by the sound of a second gun clicking. My gaze follows the direction of the noise, finding that it originates from an excellently crafted buntline special attached to the arm of one of the guards who had followed Eve into the warehouse. To my utter confusion, the guard is pointing their weapon at Eve's temple. What the hell is going on? 

Then the guard speaks and it changes everything. "Let them go, Bobo Del Rey. Or I punch a bunch of holes in your girlfriend." I almost break out in hysterical laughter at hearing that voice. Wynonna Earp, you crafty fox. 

She removes her hat that had been drawn low over her face, to reveal glorious brown locks. She somehow got herself a guard's uniform and fluked everyone. How she did this, I was not about to ask. 

Bobo, with his gun still trained on Waverly, looks utterly surprised for a split second. He quickly regains his composure, however. The clench of his jaw and rigid stance of his body has me fearing that he might fire his weapon, but after a tense few seconds he finally lowers his gun. 

I can't help but release a huge sigh of relief, sounding more like a croak due to my tender throat. Waverly really did a number on my neck, she is fiercely strong for her tiny body. That's really sexy, my brain can’t help but think. 

"Wynonna Earp. I should have known you would come for your brat of a sister." Bobo says, his tone acidic. Eve just stands very still, seemingly not much affected by the gun pointed at her head. 

Wynonna keeps her gun hand steady and her shoulders squared. "Shut your trap, Bobo. Don't you ever speak about my sister again, asshole. Drop your gun and kick it over here." 

Bobo sneers, but slowly places his gun on the floor and kicks it over to Wynonna as instructed. "You think you are going to save them? You are nothing but a crazy bitch with her daddy's old gun." He says mockingly.

I see Wynonna’s grip on the gun waver slightly at his words. Bobo hit a nerve and he knows it, if the victorious smirk on his face is anything to go by. But Waverly was having none of that. She turns to face him; the drug’s effects somehow having worn off.

"Shut the hell up, Bobo Del Rey. Wynonna is one of the bravest people I know. She took care of me when I was little, when things went to shit. She has always been there." 

Not wanting to be left out, I also croak out a few words of my own. "Yes, Wynonna Earp always goes to the mat for the people she loves. She fights for them, even at the cost of herself. That's just how amazing she is. Something you, Robert Svane, could never be." The use of his real name really irks Bobo. He looks back at me with a snarl. I just smile widely back at him. Bastard.

I get a much better reception from the two Earp sisters for my efforts. One looks at me gratefully. The other holds a look so full of passion that it makes my insides feel like Jell-o. I quickly divert my gaze from Waverly’s and look at Wynonna. I see the slight shimmer of tears in her eyes before they turn back to Bobo, her blue eyes once again full of determination.

"You are done, Bobo Del Rey. Now be a good dog and untie my friend." She orders him, inclining her head in my direction. Bobo looks at her for a moment, and I can see the dark wheels turning in his head as he slowly moves toward me. "Any funny business and I'll kill her." Wynonna warns him, still pointing her gun at Eve's head threateningly. 

Bobo walks behind me before he speaks. "You know, it is very ironic. You come to save your little sister, now choosing to play the role of saviour. But you couldn't save your other sister, could you? Willa? She got lost and you failed her." Oh no. This was Wynonna's weakness and that bastard knew it. Wynonna's grip on the gun loosens again, much more so than the previous time. 

Waverly and I were both ready to counter Bobo's words again when the worst possible thing happens. Eve speaks. "Yes, Wynonna. Why didn't you save me? You just let me get taken like that and you didn't do anything. Some sister you were." 

Wynonna lowers her gun completely then, heartbreak all over her face as she stammers "Willa? Willa…I...I am so sorry." Her sorrowful words barely leave her lips before Eve elbows her, causing a winded Wynonna to drop her gun.

Eve picks up the buntline that Wynonna had dropped and aims it at the floored brunette. Then she kicks the other gun to Bobo before a completely taken by surprise Waverly and I have a chance to utter a single word. And just like that, we are back at square one. 

Bobo laughs in triumph as he picks up the gun, and it sounds like a demonic cackle. To my horror, he grabs Waverly, keeping the gun trained to her back as she moves her back to the chair that she previously occupied. 

He pushes her forward and orders her to sit down, keeping the gun trained on her the whole time. I let out a growl at the way he handles her. He just smirks wider. I am going to kill him as soon as I get free from this damn chair, I silently swear to myself. Law be damned, I’d commit murder if it would keep Waverly Earp safe from these utter assholes forever.

Waverly’s soft voice brings me from my unsavory thoughts. "Willa why are you doing this? We have always looked for you! Especially Wynonna, she had a really rough time when we were kids...After you left, she never stopped looking.” Waverly sniffles and it’s my kryptonite. 

My lifeforce starts to bleed out with every indication of a distraught Waverly Earp. If only I really was a super human. I could beat up everyone who ever tried to hurt her, then just grab her and run the hell away from everything. I let out a sigh at the fact that instead of that, I am tied to this damn chair and utterly useless to help her. Some hero.

“People thought she went crazy because she was so determined to find you. I was too. And now you are here...perfectly alive and well…so let’s go home. Together.” Waverly pleads, hope shining in her eyes.

Willa’s aim doesn’t waver for a second. There is no emotion in her eyes except coldness. "You always were so damn annoying Waverly. Don't you see? I never wanted to be part of that stupid family. To be the eldest and having to take care of two bratty sisters. When Mr Del Rey kidnapped me, I wasn't even scared. He took me in and gave me a much better life than I ever could have dreamt. And I got to meet Bobo." She says as she looks proudly at a smirking Bobo. 

Wynonna, finally having caught her breath, speaks up. “Willa, we care about you. Do you really want this life? A life of crime? You will end up dead. Like daddy.” She says in a soft tone, her eyes raw with emotion. I can see the need she has to get her sister back. It is pointless, however. Willa is too far gone down her dark Del Rey rabbit hole. 

“Shut the hell up, Wynonna. You were always Daddy’s favourite. I am no longer the Willa you knew. I haven’t been from the day I got given a new life by Joseph Del Rey. I am Eve now and you mean nothing to me.” 

The pure disdain in her voice takes me aback, and the hurt in Wynonna’s eyes breaks a part of my own soul. I see her swallow back some tears and lower her head in defeat as Waverly lets out a loud sob. I had never felt more useless than in that moment. Everything is over now, Bobo has won. 

The bastard slowly walks behind my chair and starts to speak again. “Well ladies, this has been quite an eventful evening. But whaddya say we wrap things up so I can go back to doing my business in peace, without the interruption of a bunch of self-righteous women?” He says the last part with his mouth lowered to my right ear. Bobo del Rey’s first mistake was his inability to pass up an opportunity to gloat. His second mistake was to underestimate a ginger. 

With his jaw still lowered next to my ear, I gather all my strength and push up with my legs. The movement catapults the back of the chair into Bobo’s chin, causing him to let out a loud and very satisfying grunt of pain. What I didn’t bet on was the loaded gun dropping from his hand. I hear the shot from my sideways position on the floor and my eyes immediately shoot to Waverly to see if she’s okay. 

To my confusion she looks down at me in shock. I look down at myself to see a pool of blood starting to form on the floor next to me. The last sounds I hear before I succumb to the darkness is the voice of an angel calling my name and something that sounds like a helicopter somewhere above us.


	17. Chapter 17

I open my eyes to a flickering light above me and an annoying beeping sound coming from my left. The air smells sterile, making me wrinkle my nose. 

I feel a weight on the top of my left hand. My eyes finally focus and I see the mess of honey brown locks spread across my arm. A napping Waverly holds onto my arm possessively. It makes me feel like I belong to her, that I am hers. I always have been, truth be told. 

I take a look around the room. The walls are an off-white colour, there are two windows at the front of my bed. The height of the sun indicates its around mid-morning. There is also a chair in the righthand corner of the room, occupied by a dozing Jeremy. The last time I saw him was on the boat… at the warehouse. How did he end up here? 

I try to sit up slightly without disturbing Waverly, but the movement causes me to wince and the angelic brunette to stir. The source of my discomfort appears to be my left shoulder, where a huge plaster has been placed over some gauze. 

As I look at my injury, it all finally comes back to me. The loaded gun falling, the the sound of a gunshot. There was blood, so much blood. My own blood… 

I am brought from my frantic reminiscing by the voice that could make me do absolutely anything. Even get a flaming phoenix tattoo all up my butt, if that is what she wanted in her beautiful heart. 

"Nicole! You are awake." Waverly's hazel eyes are alight with relief and happiness. It's infectious. I smile widely at her. "Yeah, looks like I am." 

"I am so glad! You had me so damn worried." She says, practically jumping on me with a hug. I really enjoy the feeling of her arms around me, but my injury starts to complain.

"I am all right, Waves." I tell her softly as I return the hug as best I can. "As much as I really don't want this hug to end, my shoulder is a bit tender." I reluctantly tell her.

She let's go, to my inner turmoil, and gives me an apologetic look. "I am so sorry! Did I hurt you? Do I need to call the doctor?" She rambles adorably. I just shake my head with a smile and gently place my hand over hers. "You could never hurt me, Waves." I look into her eyes, conveying every bit of my soul to her. She returns my gaze with a matching level of intensity. 

"Hey look, Nicky Nicky Nine-Nine has finally woken up!" A now awake Jeremy shouts gleefully from behind Waverly, breaking the moment she and I just had. I fight the automatic urge to growl. It's just Jeremy. 

I smile warmly at him. "I sure am, Jer." Then I frown. "I am just really confused. The last time I saw you was on Nedley's boat at the warehouse's pier. What happened to you?" I turn my head towards Waverly again. "And how did I end up here? The last thing I remember is the sound of a gunshot." 

Waverly's face takes on a look of utter sorrow, the memory seems to cause her pain. I regret ever saying those words. 

Jeremy starts to speak, directing my attention back to him. "It's actually a pretty cool story. When you left the boat, Wynonna became very restless. She lasted 8 minutes exactly before she was out of the boat." I roll my eyes, typical Wynonna. I also cannot help the smile that forms on my face at the thought of the brunette. Where is she? I am about to ask, but Jeremy cuts me off by continuing the story.

"I was feeling much less sea sick in that moment and jumped out after her. We went in the same direction you did, saw a cluster of crates and hid behind them. We heard some commotion and then saw a guard carry an unconscious you into the warehouse. This pissed Wynonna off a whole lot."

"Ooh here comes the best part." All three of us are startled by Wynonna's voice. She is leaning casually against the side of the entrance to my room. I cannot keep the wide grin from my face. I am so damn glad to see her alive and well. "Wynonna, you are okay!" 

Wynonna lowers her head and lets out a chuckle "Me? Dude you almost freaking died!" She says as she walks over to me, gives me a once over and then crushes me in a hug. My shoulder protests again, but I ignore it for as long as I can and hug her back with just as much force. "I'm really glad you made it, Haught." She tells me softly. 

When she finally lets me go. I nod at her with a smile. "I am glad to see you are still kicking, too. Not surprised after seeing you almost kick Bobo and Eve's asses in that warehouse." 

Wynonna frowns and looks down at her boots. "Yeah, but I also almost failed everyone. Who knows where we would have been if you hadn't basically broke Bobo's jaw with that chair.” She looks up again, awe shining in her blue eyes. “That was insanely awesome by the way, you have to teach me that move." 

I just laugh and shake my head. "It was pure adrenaline, but sure. Maybe we can have Dolls teach us some of his self-defense stuff sometime." Her eyes light up with excitement as she nods. "That sound like a plan." 

My face becomes serious then. "And you didn't fail anyone, Wynonna." I tell her softly, my tone and gaze full of complete honesty. She looks at me for a long moment before she gives a sheepish smile. "Thanks, Haught." 

“No, seriously! You were really brave! Stealing a guard’s uniform and getting the upper hand on Bobo Del Rey like that? That's damn badass. How did you manage that, by the way?" 

To my and Waverly's joy, Wynonna smiles proudly. "Hey Nerdorama, why don't you continue your story and tell them how I did it." 

Jeremy smiles widely and nods enthusiastically. "After we saw you get taken into the warehouse, Wynonna grabbed me and started looking around. She spotted a window that could work as an entry point to the warehouse. There was a stack of crates leading to the window. Wynonna asked me if I would be able to climb up there. I almost laughed at the insinuation.” Jeremy makes a show of flexing his biceps. “I don’t do yoga for nothing; these puppies are tough.” 

Wynonna scoffs next to me. “Yeah okay, Tarzan. Continue with the story.” Waverly giggles at her sister’s words and her best friends’ antics. It’s really nice. It feels kind of like we are a family. The warmth at this thought makes my heart bloom with a happiness I did not know I could ever feel.

Jeremy just gives Wynonna a cocky smile as he continues. “As I was making my way up the crates, I see Wynonna sneaking to some barrels close to where one of the guards was making his rounds. She waited for just the right moment before she grabbed him from behind, did some kind of ninja choke hold thing and he was out! It was like something right out of Splinter Cell. So freaking awesome.”

The reference is lost on me, but the awe in Jeremy’s eyes has me believing it was indeed pretty awesome to witness. I give Wynonna an impressed look. “Guess you don’t need any self-defense training after all.”

She smiles proudly and shakes her head. “Nah, I rode with the Banditos after getting out of the mental hospital. They taught me a few things.” She says with a shrug, all casual about the fact that she could easily take out a man twice her size. 

“Yeah, then she stole the guard’s uniform and waited until she saw Eve making her way to the entrance. The rest of it you already know.”

I mull this over in my head before giving him a nod. “All right. So now I know how Wynonna got into the warehouse, but what was your role in all this?” I ask. 

“Well, after my momentary stupor at witnessing Kung Fu Wynonna, I continued climbing the crates to the top and made my way in through the window. It led to one of the upper storage platforms of the warehouse. Which means, I had an excellent vantage point of everything going on below.” 

Jeremy is interrupted by a doctor coming in and checking my file, before coming over to have a look at my wound. Waverly hovers, anxiously looking over the doctor’s shoulder. “Well Miss Haught, everything looks good. We are just going to put your arm into a sling and then you will be ready to go home again this afternoon.” I can practically feel the relief from everyone in the room. My heart clenches. It has been so long since I felt like I really had a place to belong, that I had a home. I give the doctor a warm smile.

“That’s great news. Thanks, Doc.” I look at Waverly and she is smiling happily, mirroring my own joy. The I look back at Jeremy. “We still have some time. Please continue, Jer.”

Jeremy nods and continues with his never ending enthusiasism. “The first thing I did when I was up there, was to silently dial Dolls’ number, as Wynonna had instructed me. I explained our situation to him. He immediately organized a team to head over to the warehouse. He reminded me about getting undeniable proof. So, to help me not feel utterly useless as Bobo tormented you guys and while I waited for the cops, I got out my camera and started taking picture after picture.”

“That’s great, Jer! So, you got us proof? Is it enough?” I ask him in utter ecstasy at this information.

Waverly pipes up then. “Oh, he has all the proof we could ever need. Tell them, Jer!”

Jeremy smiles proudly and nods at Waverly. “Well, the camera I took with me was the one Robin got me last Christmas. It is a special James Bond edition, with built in voice recorder!” He is unable to hide his excitement at his gadget. Jeremy really was a true nerd. I am so glad to be his friend and colleague.

I look up at him in surprise. “A voice recorder, too? So that means you could record everything that Bobo said?” He nods enthusiastically and I cannot help the joyful laughter that pours from me. “That means that…” 

“Yes, Haught. We have enough evidence. The photos and voice recording along with the testament from the Stephanie girl is more than enough to put Bobo and his cronies away for good.” Wynonna says before I can complete my epiphany. I smile at her with immense happiness. We really did it! We got Bobo del Rey. Fuck yeah!

“I just waited it out, collecting evidence. Then I heard the gunshot and started to panic. Luckily, Dolls and his team arrived at the warehouse with the department’s one helicopter just in time. They surrounded the warehouse and arrested Eve and Bobo on the spot. It was freaking epic!” Jeremy falls back into the chair, all the excitement of reliving the nights events seemingly exhausting him. A content smile is on his face as he looks at me. I smile back.

“Yeah and then the medics came, patched up your shoulder temporarily and lifted you into the helicopter.” Waverly says, completing the story. A sadness appears over her face again as she says this. “I…we…were really scared, Nicole. We thought he…killed you.” She looks back up at me and the raw emotion in her eyes takes me aback. 

I squeeze her hand gently. “I am sorry for scaring you, Waves.” She smiles softly, not letting go of my hand. “Wasn’t your fault. I am just really glad that you are all right.” She says, tucking her hair behind her ear in that adorably shy way of hers. Then I remember another thing.

“And Tucker? Could they find anything on him?”

“Oh yeah, our little pervy friend is going away for good too. They found a journal of all Bobo’s clients. Joseph and Tucker Gardner among them.” Wynonna tells me with glee.

“Good.” I say, completely satisfied that everyone who had tried to hurt Waverly were now going to be locked away forever. This was the best day ever.

Wynonna then gets up from her position on the side of the bed and moves to the door before she looks back at Waverly. “It’s almost time for us to visit Willa before they send her away.” 

Waverly nods sadly at Wynonna. “Yeah, okay.” She then looks back at me. “I’ll be right there. Could you guys please give us a minute?” She asks, her eyes never leaving mine. 

“Sure Waves. Come on, Jimmy Olson. Why don’t you buy me a take away coffee?” Wynonna tells Jeremy as they exit the room, leaving me and Waverly alone.

My heart starts beating faster, causing the machine next to my bed to beep faster. I glare at it for exposing me. Waverly just giggles. I give up on hiding how she makes me feel and just smile at her, moving a lock of her hair that she missed behind her ear gently. 

“So, I heard Jeremy and Wynonna’s stories. But what about you. Are you okay, did you get hurt?” I ask her softly.

“No, I am completely fine physically.” She says. Then she moves her hand gently over the bruises on my neck. The bruises she had caused. “Nicole, I almost killed you.” She says, letting out a soft sob. It breaks my heart. I gently lift her head with two fingers to get her to look at me.

“Hey. Waves, look at me.” She finally looks back at me. “You did nothing wrong. It was the drugs, they made you lose your self control. I know you would never ever hurt me. Okay?” I convey as much honesty and warmth on my eyes as I can and smile softly at her in encouragement. She looks at me with awe and passion and it ignites a fire in my belly. 

"Do you know how I was able to resist the drug’s effects after a while?” She asks. I shake my head and look at her in expectation. “The doctor who examined me explained that large doses of the hormone norepinephrine has been known to negate the drug’s effects.” 

I frown at that information. “But you never took any norepinephrine. How did…” I am interrupted by Waverly.

“I heard what you said, Nicole. Even while I was drugged, I could hear it.” She says and for a moment I am very confused. Then I remember. I had basically told her that I loved her. It was the complete truth. I start to panic. What if she did not want it, what if she didn’t feel the same and was about to reject me? Now it is my turn to look down sadly.

“Nicole, look at me please.” I am unable to deny her, so I do as she asks. “You know what is one of the major predecessors to the release of norepinephrine?” I shake my head again. I was not really all that knowledgeable on medical stuff, even though I had been married to a doctor. Waverly’s eyes shine with a look that I am not able to place. 

“When someone tells you that they love you and you are happy about it, it tends to cause a surge of norepinephrine.” Waverly explains, looking at me with such intensity that I am pretty sure my own norepinephrine levels are currently through the roof. Then I realize what she said. I look up at her, completely dumbfounded. “You were happy about it? Waves, I…”

Wynonna appears at this absolutely crucial moment and it takes everything in me not to scream at her to go the hell away. “Waves, we have to go. Now.” She tells Waverly. The angel on my bed sighs as she addresses her sister. “All right, I am coming.” She then looks back at me apologetically. 

“Sorry, Nicole. I really gotta go. Have to go see Willa one last time.” She looks really sad at the prospect of having to greet the sister she had only just found again. Despite what Willa did, Waverly still does not wish to see her go to prison. That’s’ s just another testament to Waverly’s beautiful heart.

I squeeze her hand gently. “It’s okay Waves, I understand. Go do what you need to.” She nods and gets up, very reluctantly it seems, to my extreme joy. “I’ll see you later?” She asks with hope in her eyes. I nod warmly. “Of course, Waves.” She smiles happily and then places a lingering kiss to my cheek, leaving me utterly stunned and the machine next to my bed going wild. How embarrassing. 

Waverly giggles as she moves towards the door, turning back with one last wave in my direction. Then she is gone, leaving me to mull over everything I had just learned. Number one, I am alive. Number two, we got Bobo Del Rey. And number Three? I think Waverly Earp loves me too. Have I mentioned that this is the best day ever?


	18. Chapter 18

Its 10h30pm on Saturday night and I have finally, FINALLY, completed the report on the Bobo del Rey saga. Yes, as per usual, I am at the office way after office hours. Its been a mere 8 and half hours since I was released from the hospital. The doctor instructed that I rest. In my defence I did TRY to rest. 

After being released at 2pm, I went straight home and tried to sleep. I actually managed 6 hours. It’s not enough for my body to recover from the events of the warehouse, but it did help me feel slightly less tired. 

When I woke up, the first thing I did was reach for my phone to check for any new messages, specifically from a certain honey brown angelic brunette. 

Unfortunately, there was nothing of the kind. I figured the whole Willa thing was a lot for her and Wynonna to work through, so I decided to give them some space. 

I attempted to watch some Netflix. I was 20 minutes into an episode of She-Ra when the restlessness in me got too much for me to ignore any longer. So, then I got up, grabbed my jacket and keys and drove to the one place where I knew I would be able to focus my mind and be productive. 

It feels like forever since I had last seen my cubicle. It had, in actual fact, been only a mere three days. But so much has happened in that time. Waverly’s kidnapping, the panic to find her, trip to the warehouse, getting captured by Bobo, Waverly almost killing me, Wynonna saving us and then Bobo getting the drop on her, then me getting shot and almost dying a second time. Whew. Days of our Lives couldn’t hold a candle to that.

I walked over to my desk slowly and lovingly ran my hands along the surface. Then I sat down, put on my computer and open up a brand-new document. I started writing, it was a little difficult with my tender shoulder, but I managed. 

Once I started, I couldn’t seem to stop. I took the time to add every word, every detail, every truth on the events that had transpired. It was very important to me that this would be an article that would make an impact, that it would give people hope. Hope that good will always manage to trump evil, no matter how impossible the odds might seem. 

Most of all, I wanted to emphasize that the main driver for this victory lies in the power of friendship and love. 

I smiled fondly at the thought. Wynonna, Jeremy and especially Waverly ran through my mind the whole time I wrote the story of how we managed to conquer the mighty Bobo del Rey.

And that is how I find myself in my current position, the completed document on the screen in front of me. I stretch, wincing at the pain in my shoulder and rub my neck tiredly. I sigh, and it is full of contentment and pride rather than tiredness. I click print and get up to gather the pages that contain a lot of blood sweat and tears. Literally. 

Then I walk over to Nedley’s office, finally placing the document onto his desk. I take a moment to look at my work and allow myself a proud smile. It’s finally over, we really did it. 

I am brought from my thoughts by the sound of urgent footsteps coming from behind me. Startled, I turn around to be met with the sight that rivals every wonder in the world. 

Waverly Earp stands in front of me looking utterly beautiful. Her honey strands hang loosely across her shoulders, shoulders that are squared. Her jaw is set and her eyes…I am taken aback with the intensity that I find there. I start to greet her and explain why am not at home resting. “Wav…” I barely manage to make it past the first three letters of her name before I am attacked. Or rather my lips are. 

She closes the distance between us with such haste that I am unable to fully register what is happening. All I know is, it feels as if the whole world had stopped just for us in that moment, like it was completely ours.

The force of her powerful body against mine pushes me back and I stumble in reverse, pulling us backwards until we topple onto the old couch in Nedley’s office. Waverly lands right top of me, never breaking the kiss.

My brain, having been immobilized the moment angelic lips touched mine, finally starts to function enough to allow for coherent thought. Waverly Earp is kissing me. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. WAVERLY EARP IS KISSING ME. Her lips...they are so wonderfully soft, moving over mine in a gentle urgency. 

It feels like we fit so perfectly, like our lips are two pieces of Lego that were only created to fit each other. Did I perhaps actually die in that warehouse? Must be, because I cannot think of anything that could represent what heaven feels like more than how I am feeling in this moment. 

I finally break free from my dumbfounded idiocy to return the favour. One does not simply leave a lady waiting after all, especially not an angelic goddess. So I start to kiss her back with just as much passion and emotion, conveying every feeling I haven’t had the guts to say to her out loud. At my response, Waverly lets out a tiny moan that sets every cell in my body on fire. Seriously bring the marshmallows, it’s that hot. 

She tangles her dexterous hands into my short hair and it encourages me to become even more bold. I move my hands beneath where her shirt had ridden up, finding soft skin as I explore the gorgeously taught planes of her abdomen. It takes everything in me not to let out a moan from the ecstasy I experience by having Waverly this close to me. 

Then my mind unfortunately starts catching up with my hormones and I realize that we haven’t even talked. With every ounce of willpower that I can muster, I break the kiss. On separating, our breaths come out ragged and our hearts beat loudly at the same rhythm.

I look up at Waverly above me and my breath catches all over again. She looks so beautiful. Her hair is a wonderful mess, her shirt is wrinkled and her lips are slightly swollen. I feel pride at the fact that I am the reason for this. 

I look into her gorgeous eyes, conveying my whole soul to her. Inside those hazel orbs, I am certain the same thing is reflected. “Waves, you are so incredibly beautiful.” I tell her breathlessly as I gently move a strand of stray hair behind her ear. Then I take a deep breath and look into those gorgeous hazel orbs. With a soft voice full of emotion and vulnerability, I ask “What does this mean?”

Waverly’s brows furrow slightly, but she smiles at me softly. “After all that, you still don’t know what it means?” I might. But I need to hear her say it. So I play dumb and shake my head slowly, my eyes never leaving hers. She giggles and it’s the sound of water running over pebbles, wind moving through a field of daisies. 

“You can uncover a crime syndicate with only your gut, yet you can’t figure this out?” I shake my head again. She laughs. Then her face becomes serious, her eyes looking at me with that intensity that ignites a forest fire in my belly. I visibly gulp. Then she speaks again. 

“I am utterly, completely in love with you, Nicole Haught.” Waverly Earp says the words I neve ever thought I would be lucky enough to hear, but that I am pretty sure I have been waiting my whole life for. I search her eyes and find nothing there but complete honesty and vulnerability. 

I smile my widest, deepest dimpled smile at her in response. The joy that this revelation brings me is something that no money can ever by. I move my hand to gently cup her chin and look into her eyes, bearing every part of me to her. She owns my whole existence now, always has.

“I love you too, Waves.” I tell her softly; every word is the truest I’ll ever speak. At hearing this, Waverly smiles so wide her eyes crinkle into moons. I have never been more in awe of her beauty. 

“Yeah?” She asks adorably shy, to which I laugh softly. “Yes, Waves. I have been in love with you since that first time we spoke.” She looks at me in awe again before she responds in the best possible way. She kisses me passionately, which I return with eagerness. This time we don’t stop.

We spend most of the rest of that night kissing, talking, confessing everything we had both been too scared to say. I asked her to be my girlfriend, to which she laughed and said “Duh.”

And just like that, the end of Bobo del Rey had led to the start of my destiny to be utterly devoted to Waverly Earp for the rest of my life. And let me tell you, I am pretty darn stoked about it.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

I arrive at the office early as per usual on Monday. Upon entering, I am met with a standing ovation from all of my colleagues. Elizah smiles widely and gives me a thumbs up. Lonny lets out an obnoxious whistle, to which I role my eyes before smiling at him. Jeremy comes over to give me a fist bump, making me laugh. 

But my favourite? My favourite is Waverly standing at her desk, looking at me with such utter pride and love that my heart clenches almost painfully with emotion. I return her gaze with the same look mirrored in my eyes.

Nedley then walks out of his office, stops beside me and softly whispers “Really proud of you, kid. Well done.” As he pats my back in the way a father would. In the way my father would too, if it he had still been here. I cannot help the tear that runs down my cheek as I look back at Nedley.

“Thanks for always believing in me, Boss.” He nods with a small smile before returning his attention to the rest of the office. “All right get back to work, I don’t pay you to stand around.” To which everyone rushes back to their desks to start the workday.

I head to mine slowly, looking over at Waverly as I sit down. I smile at her widely, which she returns with a wink. With unending hope and love running through my veins, I start my tasks for the day.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX 

Waverly and I don’t get to spend much time during the days, as we are both always busy with interviews or reports of our own needing to be done.

To ensure we are always connected, we text every chance we get. The “I miss you” and “I love you” texts gets me through even the roughest of days and keeps a permanent smile on my face. My other favourite one is “Work late tonight?”

Working late has become our thing now, our way to be together after a hard day’s work. Sometimes we do actual work, but mostly we head to Nedley’s couch for more…important activities. 

After office hours have become significant to us now. It is the time that we get to spend with each other in uninterrupted bliss, the time we get to learn more about and fall more deeply in love with each other. After office hours was ours.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

On one of our after office hours sessions, I planned to take Waverly to a fancy restaurant for our first date. She dressed up looking gorgeous in a black dress and I wore my lucky blue button up. 

When we got to the restaurant, however, they wouldn’t let us in because I didn’t make a reservation. I was distraught, as I wanted it to be special for Waverly and I had failed. I started to argue with the guy at the front door, but Waverly gently pulled me away and back to the car.

Then she instructed me to drive, providing me with directions as we went. Finally, on the last turn I realized where she was taking me. “The Trailer Park?” I say with a frown as I stop at the same spot I always do. The nightclub stands empty now. Police tape is everywhere, as it has become an important site in discovering more of Bobo del Rey’s criminal life. 

Waverly smiles warmly at me as she places her hand softly over mine, making my breath catch again at her beauty. “Yes. The Trailer Park.” She tells me as if it were obvious.

My frown lines deepen. “Waves, why are we here? This is supposed to be our first date?” I ask. She just keeps smiling that adorable smile of hers. “This is our first date. This was where we had our first stakeout…it was where I realized my feelings for you, Nicole.” She says these words so simply. Yet, it is the most romantic thing I had ever heard. I finally understand. 

I smile, my eyes conveying the absolute awe I felt at her words. “That was one the best nights of my life. Spending time in my car just talking to you, getting to know you, falling even more in love with you…” I turn to look into her eyes. “I wanted to kiss you so badly that night…but I was so scared.” 

She smiles her crinkly moon smile. “Well, why don’t you take your chance now then?” She says softly, making me smile before I comply. I move forward, catching her lips in mine. The kiss is tender, full of emotion and unsaid things. I break the kiss to gaze upon perfection. “I love you.” I tell her honestly.

She doesn’t miss a beat before she says my favourite words in the whole world. “I love you too.”

Then she takes me by surprise and clambers onto my lap, my hands automatically go to her hips. “Waves, what are you…” I start to ask, but she shooshes me by placing her finger on my lips. “You know what rhymes with stakeout?” I shake my head dumbly. 

Her eyes drop to my lips. “Make out.” She says right before putting the word to action. And that is pretty much how the rest our night went. It was the best date I had ever had in my life, there in my red Mazda in front of The Trailer Park with the love of my life.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

On a Wednesday I am called into Nedley’s office. “Haught, I know its just been a few weeks since the Bobo saga, but I have a new job for you. You up for it?”  
The reporter in me has been hungry for weeks, so I eagerly nod. “Yes, sir.” I tell my Boss earnestly.

“Good. As you know, the mayoral campaign has started. There is a new fella in town who is running for the position. However, no one has been able to find out anything about him at all. He goes by the name of Bulshar Clootie.”

“I am on it sir.” I tell him. He nods and then dismisses me. After exiting his office, I head straight to the desk occupied by my favourite person in the whole world. Upon hearing my footsteps, Waverly looks up with joy in her eyes.

“You ready for another stakeout, partner?” Her jaw sets in determination, but her eyes spark with excitement. “Always.”

Waverly and I, along with the help of our friends, go on many more stakeouts to uncover the truth. With our stories, we prove that love always trumps evil and that there is always, ALWAYS hope. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to every single person who took he time to read my very first fic. I had so much fun writing this story and I hope it made a difference in your life or at least brought you some hope. Thanks for every comment and kudo. You guys are truly the best!
> 
> Much love,  
> @TannieSpokie

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for actually reading this silly little fic of mine, you guys are really awesome! 
> 
> Much love  
> @TannieSpokie


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